


Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Their Story

by MaddieBoBaddie



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Blood and Injury, Dream Smp, F/M, Fantasy Violence, L'manberg War, Major Character Injury, Realistic version of the events on the Dream SMP, potentially ooc in some aspects, secondary romantic relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:28:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 49,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26619718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaddieBoBaddie/pseuds/MaddieBoBaddie
Summary: Unrest in the nation of Essempee has prevailed for far too long, and tensions reach a breaking point when Dream crushes the last hope of it's oppressed people. When everything comes to a head and war breaks out between the two sides, who will come out as the victor? Will freedom ring for the rebels or will the land continue to be ruled by an iron fist?
Relationships: Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Niki | Nihachu/Wilbur Soot, Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit
Comments: 91
Kudos: 218





	1. Young, Scrappy, and Hungry

Rain poured down in silver streams as a strong wind rattled the windows of Wilbur Soot’s small medicine cottage. The faint glow of a dying lantern was barely enough to illuminate the space. Wilbur worked quickly, praying the final remnants of oil would last until he was done tending his patients wounds. Bloodied cloths fell to the floor around him, a half empty bottle of distilled alcohol now covered in red handprints.

Tommy Innit breathed slowly as his friend worked. He didn’t wince when his cuts were being sterilized, no matter how much it hurt. He focused on the rhythm of the rain pattering on the roof, listening intently for any unusual sounds. Every rustle of a tree branch put him on edge, internally prepared for defense even still. Tommy brought an unsteady hand to push the wet hair from his face. His whole body seemed to shake; he told himself it was adrenaline, but deep down he knew a part of him was still afraid.

No words had been spoken until Wilbur wiped the blood from his hands and applied clean gauze to Tommy’s bicep. The other lacerations were small enough that Wilbur left them unwrapped. He didn’t have the resources to spare, and God knew he’d used plenty of his supply on his young friend already.

“That’ll do,” Wilbur stated, standing up from his stool to grab a clean towel. Tommy remained sitting on the canvas cot, looking both apologetic and on edge. He ran a gentle finger over the cuts along his face and collar bone, regretting it immediately as his own touch made them sting.

“How long do I have to keep this thing on?” Tommy raised his arm in reference to the bandage, a hint of irritation in his voice.

“You say that as though I’m the reason you need it in the first place.” Wilbur didn’t look over to his friend as he wiped down the work station. Tommy let out a breath and shifted his weight.

“Well what would you have me do Wilbur?”

“Stay out of trouble, Tommy.” Wilbur threw the dirty towels into a wooden basket. “How many times have we been in this situation? Why do I have to keep telling you to just keep your head down and quit starting problems.”

Tommy hung his head, feeling like a child being scolded. He often forgot the seven year age gap between the two, but times like this made him feel small.

“It was Toby.” Tommy’s words made Wilbur hesitate for a moment. “Sapnap and Punz had him cornered, I heard him shouting. They’d already taken the gold he had on him but they wouldn’t just let him be. I wasn’t going to let them hurt him again.”

Wilbur glanced out his window, not that he’d be able to see anything through the flow of rain. He wasn’t going to condemn Tommy for defending Tubbo, but he didn’t want to encourage his rash behavior either.

“Is he okay?” Wilbur asked.

“Yeah. He ran when I pulled Sapnap away, distracted the two long enough for him to bolt. I managed to get away too but only barely, and after they got a few swings on me.”

“So they’re still out there?”

“Perhaps. They may have gotten bored of tormenting people though.” Tommy slowly got up from the bed, reaching to put on his wet, torn shirt once more. Wilbur picked up the lantern, which had almost extinguished, and locked the front door.

“Best not to go out then,” Wilbur said, now turning to go into his own room. “Let me get you a new shirt, sleeping in that one will surely give you a cold.”

“I’m fine Wilbur.” Tommy’s words didn’t stop him, he grabbed both a top and a blanket and brought them to the cot. For a moment Tommy contemplated fighting harder, but truthfully, the last thing he wanted to do was go back into the dark night.

“You’re staying here tonight. I know it’s not the comfiest bed but I don’t want to waste anymore bandages from you walking into another fight. We’ll check on Tubbo tomorrow.” Wilbur left Tommy to himself again to let him settle into bed. One last check of his office showed all the doors and windows had been securely locked. Wilbur changed into his own set of night clothes and hung his stained shirt on the back of a wooden rocking chair.

“I would offer you other pants but I’m afraid they’d be a bit long,” Wilbur teased, hoping that some playful banter might lift the dreariness of the evening. Sure enough, a quiet chuckle sounded from the other room. It put the faintest smile back on both boys’ face.

“You’ll let me know if you need anything?” Wilbur heard a mumbled affirmation from Tommy, which was all he needed to snuff out the lantern and climb into bed himself. Pulling the woolen quilt up to his face, he tried to close his eyes and fall asleep. Of course it wouldn’t be that easy, it never was. Tommy’s gentle snores soon hummed through the cottage. Minutes turned to hours until eventually Wilbur wore out his own brain by thinking and scheming. Ways to help his friends, how to make his supplies stretch, what he could do to strengthen the community on the outskirts of the small nation. He’d filled pages and pages of thoughts and ideas yet he couldn’t rest. There was always something that needed to be done, it seemed. And even though Wilbur knew he wasn’t obligated to be the leader figure for those around him he still felt compelled to do so. He almost wished he didn’t have the inclination, but then who would be the one to take his place?

Tomorrow he would go scavenging for more herbs and plants, he’d decided. He let his mind plot out each step of the next day’s task over and over, sure not to miss any detail, until eventually he fell asleep.

Dream sat expectantly at his large oak table, fingers drumming with impatient fervor against the wood. Each glance at the clock above the double doors made him even more aggravated; past midnight and his men were running around like children. Rain drops echoed from the roof through the stone walls of his manor, a usually calming sound that now put Dream on edge. Of course, the footsteps of his friend pacing back and forth, throwing darts into the cork target, didn’t help.

George kept stealing glances at the man in the high-backed chair, unsure of whether he should speak or let him sort out his own frustrations. He did his best to keep busy, practicing his aim with the small metal darts. A useless skill when it came to anything of importance, but perhaps he could use it to win money off his friends when they’d challenge each other to a game. Each time George landed a bullseye he stepped back even further, eventually getting at least fifteen feet from the board. One poor throw sent the dart clattering against the wall and onto the floor.

Dream pushed away from the table, standing up so abruptly that it made George jump and drop the rest of the darts to the ground.

“They were supposed to be here an hour ago,” Dream growled, glancing across the room to the large windows that overlooked the city.

“They’re idiots Dream. They’ll be here though, they always are,” George did his best to calm down his friend as he picked the darts up. One more throw and he managed to at least get it on the target.

“Will you put those away.” Dream marched over to the board and ripped out the dart, throwing it onto a side table. George breathed out and rolled his eyes, but did as he’d been asked. Though it wasn’t uncommon for Dream to be in a sour mood, tonight he seemed more agitated than usual.

“What’s got you all worked up tonight?” George calmly walked to the table in the center of the room, surveying the sprawling map laid across it. Marks in red and blue ink littered the paper, but none of it was distinguishable. It was clear Dream was working on something, though there was hardly ever a time he wasn’t. George fiddled with a small wooden pawn that he recognized as belonging to his chess board.

“These assholes better be here in the next ten minutes or I swear..”

As if on cue, the shouts and yells of Punz and Sapnap began to sound from outside, growing in volume as the doors swung open to reveal the two drenched, intoxicated men. Dream glared at them, but the two were too busy playfully shoving each other and bantering to notice.

“Guess who got themselves quite the haul tonight!” Sapnap cheered. He threw a small drawstring bag onto the map, scattering a few chess pieces across the table. Dream pursed his lips and closed his eyes, steadying himself.

“Twelve gold pieces! That’ll fund tomorrow’s drinks, don’t you think?” Punz gloated. George stood to the side, waiting for the inevitable fight to pass so they could get on with business.

“Do you know what time it is?” The calmness in Dream’s voice was almost scarier than the anger that George knew he was suppressing. The two didn’t seem to notice the ire building up in their leader, and shrugged, sluffing off their jackets. Dream continued, “I’ve been waiting over an hour for you shit heads. And not only do you show up late, but you come in drunk off your ass!”

“Hey now, we only had a few pints! Come on, you’re making it seem like we can’t hold our alcohol.” Dream took a few steps over to Sapnap as he laughed at his own joke, picking up the bag of coins. He threw them across the room into the roaring fireplace, the sound of metal hitting the bricks with a loud clatter.

“I’m not here for you two to waste my time! Get out of my house.” Sapnap and Punz both began to protest and complain about their treasure, but Dream cut them off. “Get the fuck out. I’m not going over strategies when two of my officers are intoxicated. We’ll pick things up tomorrow.”

George stepped forward to say something as Dream stormed out of the room, but stopped as his friend passed by him without a word. Sapnap and Punz stood by silently, looking only the slightest bit remorseful. They grumbled to themselves as they grabbed their coats and stepped back into the stormy evening. George looked between the door and Dream’s study. It may not have been the best decision to approach him while he was so high strung, but he knew he’d feel guilty leaving him in that state.

George knocked on the frame of the open door, announcing his presence. An annoyed “What?” sounded from inside. He stepped into view, seeing Dream hunched over his desk.

“Don’t think too much of those two, you know they aren’t doing it to spite you. They’re just not thinking.” George took another step forward.

“That’s the problem, they’re not thinking. They aren’t taking anything seriously anymore.” Dream threw his pen down, leaning back in the leather chair. “Do they think that since the rebellion died down and the walls are fortified we’re completely safe? There’s still plenty of shit that needs sorting out, it’s just not as exciting as slashing down mutant creatures.”

“That’s what they do best though. They don’t care about resource distribution or the economic status of Essempee. They need something to fight or they get restless. They’re not the kind of people who want to sit around making preparations and policy decisions.” Dream looked at George, pondering his words for a moment. It seemed like an offhanded statement on George’s part, more of an observation about the personalities of their friends, but something about it resonated in him. Conflict between factions had been extinguished; there were no more open rebellions or threats as far as Dream and his men could see. Maybe Sapnap and the others needed something to fight in order to get them engaged in the less glamorous aspects of governing.

“So.. without something openly opposing them, they've become apathetic,” Dream though out loud. George shrugged, agreeing half-heartedly. A few moment of silence passed.

“You can go George.” Dream stood from his desk, gathering papers and organizing them into piles. “I’ll need you bright and early tomorrow.”

George nodded, watching to make sure there wasn’t anything else he needed to say. Dream appeared to be deep in thought, he barely noticed when the brunette slipped out of the room. The cogs were turning in his mind and an unstoppable train of thought was in motion. Tomorrow would be a long day, there was much to do. By the time Dream had gone from his study to his bedroom he’d already formulated the entire plan in his mind. Dream loved when pieces fell into place, it was the greatest satisfaction he could get to see the world form around him precisely as he envisioned. And the sparks in his mind lit a fire that would not soon be extinguished; a fire that would lead to devastation beyond everyone’s expectation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you've probably realized, this story will be a recollection of the Dream SMP War, but in more realistic terms. The story may sway a bit from the actual events for the sake of realism, and also to keep it from being a transcript of the streams. Also there will be A LOT of Hamilton references amidst the story, but if you haven't seen it you won't be missing anything. I just had to pay tribute to the original inspiration.
> 
> ~ This story is based off the personas of the Dream SMP characters, not the people themselves. There is some crossover between the personalities but I'm purely using the story arcs and characters they've been portraying as a basis for the story!~


	2. If You Talk You're Gonna Get Shot

Before Wilbur could get up to change Tommy’s old bandages, he was gone. The boy had always been an early riser, so walking into an empty infirmary wasn’t all that surprising. A note had been left in sloppy hand writing on a torn piece of paper.

_Wanted an early start. If I’m not back with an injured Tubbo, assume he’s alright._

Without the rambunctious boy to tend to, Wilbur took the alone time to clean up the space and take stock of the dwindling shelves. The bloodied rags were thrown into a tub of water and the leftover bandages and alcohol were put back in their place. Wilbur fished his inventory log out from the stack of books on his desk. He spent the next half hour checking what had been depleted, what needed to be collected, and what he’d have to purchase from the inner city doctor if it came down to it. He had almost finished when a sharp knock sounded from the door.

The last person Wilbur expected to see was George, and he made no attempt to hide the shocked expression on his face when he opened the door.

“Can I help you?” Wilbur did his best to act innocent – he was, to some degree – and checked behind George to see if Sapnap had come to hunt down Tommy. George unfolded a piece of paper and presented it for Wilbur to see.

“We’ve been ordered to check homes and businesses for illegal activity or treason.” Wilbur glanced across the paper, seeing a large block of text with Dream's looping signature at the bottom. “May I come in?”

Wilbur shifted his weight, more annoyed at the inconvenience than concerned about anything being discovered. “Guessing I don’t have the choice to say no?”

George flashed a fake smile towards Wilbur before stepping into the room. The floorboards creaked under his feet as the man scanned the area.

“Fix someone up recently?” George motioned towards the tub of reddened water.

“I have a lot of people come in, yes.” That was all Wilbur offered as George walked further into the space. He slowly examined the furniture and shelves, noting the organized medical supplies. Wilbur noticed him jot a few things down, but he couldn’t make anything out from where he stood.

“You say you get a lot of people coming in?” Wilbur nodded. “Looks like you aren’t well equipped for that.”

“Yes, well we do what we can out here. People pitch in to cover some expenses but it’s not exactly easy to get all the supplies we need,” Wilbur responded.

“You know the doctor in town has more than enough resources to treat the Outskirts,” George stated.

“The people here can’t afford to pay for medicines or treatments.”

“So you give everything out for free?”

“Yes.” George looked at Wilbur for a moment, before giving a hum in response. He continued searching the place, eventually making his way back to the bedroom. He opened a few drawers and chests, gradually making his way around until reaching the small shelf that held all of Wilbur’s writings. George pulled the first one off and flipped it over in his hands.

“What’s this?” He questioned. Wilbur sighed.

“A journal. What, are you shocked that the peasants out here can read and write?” George gave him a sideways glance as he skimmed through the pages.

“I’ll be taking this with me,” He announced as he slid it into the bag resting at his side.

“You can’t take that, it’s my property –”

“And it will be returned to you after we ensure it’s simply a journal.” Wilbur huffed, not wanting to pick a fight over a collection of his ramblings. He was sure nothing in there would implicate him, it was just invasive to have someone go through your personal belongings. However, the journal seemed to satisfy George and he made his way out of the cottage.

"Thank you for your cooperation, have a good day,” George said, never fully turning to address Wilbur as he did. Wilbur watched him make his way down the street, grumbling to himself. He hadn’t stopped to think about why Dream would be sending people to search civilians, but he hoped it was nothing more than a precaution.

With George gone he began to put together a small lunch to take with him on his trek. He’d planned to be in the woods most of the day to make use of the light. The fewer times he had to risk being outside the nation’s limits, the better, so he’d make the necessary journey as efficient as possible. Wilbur was never the bravest when it came to fighting the mutated beings that lay beyond the safety of the nation’s walls. The barrier that Dream had spent years putting up served its job well, it had defended from both monsters and humans alike; that was one thing the their ruler had done right. However, the forest that was contained within their borders had been stripped of supplies, forcing Wilbur to venture into dangerous territory to retrieve what he needed. His dulling iron sword and battered shield had been enough to protect him thus far.

As Wilbur was putting everything in his pack, the front door burst open. He spun around to see a panicked Tubbo standing in the doorway. The look of desperation on his face made Wilbur’s heart drop to his stomach.

“Will, Tommy’s just been arrested.”

The two sprinted all the way into the center of the city, dashing past carts and bustling people. The noise was drowned out by the anxiety and adrenaline rising in both men as they searched for their friend. They needed to find him before they took Tommy past the gates of Dream’s estate, it was their only chance of saving him from whatever they had in store for him; and Wilbur assumed the worst. Luckily they’d been quick, and the shouts of resistance could be heard from blocks away. The two pushed even harder until they broke into a clearing amongst a few shops. Tommy’s hands were shackled behind his back, Punz and Sapnap on either side, escorting him as he thrashed in an attempt to break out of their grasp.

“Hey!” Wil’s shout echoed through the square, causing many people to stop what they were doing and turn to the commotion. Tommy stopped struggling at the sound of his friend. Wilbur and Toby slowed as they neared them and Sapnap released his grip and unsheathed his sword.

“Step away and this will be easier for everyone,” Sapnap threatened, raising the blade so the tip was now a foot away from Wilbur. The two slowed to a stop, chests rising and falling as they caught their breath.

“Let him go. He’s done nothing,” Wilbur demanded. Sapnap scoffed.

“Nothing? Come on now, surely you don’t think I’m an idiot.” Sapnap glanced back to Tommy, who was still trying to shove Punz off him. “What hasn’t Tommy done? He’s stolen, he’s vandalized, he’s started fights, the list goes on!”

“Where’s your proof?” Wilbur challenged. Without a word, Sapnap reached into his side-bag and pulled out a small burlap sack. He tossed it at Wilbur’s feet, motioning for him to look inside. He did, and found it to be full of an assortment of valuables, each having one thing in common: Dream’s military insignia imprinted on it.

“It’s my job to uphold the law and punish those who break it.” He announced loud enough for more than just those next to him to hear. By now people had begun to crowd around the scuffle.

Wilbur prided himself on being level-headed and neutral in many situations. He wasn’t the one to speak out and start a scene. But listening to the arrogance in Sapnap’s voice made him lose all self-control.

“Were you upholding the law last night when you robbed and assaulted two innocent civilians?” The statement rang loud, and Sapnap’s face immediately twisted into anger. “What about all the other times you harassed the people on the Outskirts? Think we’re too fearful to speak out, do you?”

“You have no right – ”

“Perhaps that’s why you’re arresting Tommy now, because you know he’s got a loud enough mouth to call bullshit when he sees it.” Sapnap took an aggressive stance and advanced towards him.

“No low-life Outskirter is going to slander me on my own turf,” He threatened, their faces mere inches away, but Wilbur stood his ground.

“Go on then, strike me. In front of all these people, prove me right.” The air between them was heavy with intensity, and for a moment it seemed like Sapnap was going to plunge his sword right through Wilbur’s chest.

“Sap, it isn’t worth it..” Punz spoke softly to his friend. Slowly, Sapnap stepped back from the standoff. He scooped up the bag of valuables and tossed it to Punz before removing the shackles from Tommy’s wrists.

“Fine, have your scum back,” He tossed him forward hard enough to throw the boy to the ground. Tubbo immediately ran to help him back on his feet. “But you listen to me. If I see any of you filthy Outskirters in town again, you’re dead.”

The three didn’t respond, they just stared down the two in a moment of triumph. “Everyone out of the square! If I hear a word of this again they’ll be hell to pay!”

With the crowd now scurrying away, the trio took their chance to disappear into the mass of people and begin to make their way back home. Wilbur led the two younger boys as he fought against the entanglement of emotions rising up in him. He was relieved that his friend was safe, yet furious at the same time. Furious at Sapnap, at Dream, at Tommy. He despised the system that oppressed them yet he was angry that Tommy acted against it. He wanted to shout at the boy. He’d shouted at him countless times before, he’d told him not to go meddling in the middle of Dream’s militaristic rule. That it would only land him in trouble deeper than he could get himself out of. He was a naïve child. And now Wilbur had to be the one to undo the mess Tommy made.

The afternoon sun beat down on them as they walked past the expansive fields of grain. Both boys knew that Wilbur was upset, and no one spoke a word. Tommy shifted the bandage on his arm, noticing a new pool of deep red soaking into the fabric. Tubbo saw too, and looked to say something, but Tommy just shook his head. They continued until they made it safely to Wilbur’s home.

Wilbur looked at the bag he’d packed earlier, the contents spilled on the floor. He picked them up, placed everything back inside, and hung it on a hook next to the door. Still not speaking, he walked over to his desk.

“Go home Tubbo. Stay inside for the rest of the day. Tommy will join you shortly.”

Looking helpless, Tubbo nodded and stepped out, giving Tommy an apologetic look as he did. Tommy stood in the entrance and felt the breeze of the door swinging to a close on his back. With the click of the latch Wilbur clenched his fists, hitting them once against the desk.

“Damn it Tommy. Fucking damn it.” For once, Tommy was speechless. He knew he deserved whatever was coming for him, and he stood there and took it. Wilbur paced back and forth, collecting himself. He’d had his outburst but he wasn’t finished yet.

“Do you not realize who you’re fucking with? Did you think the only reprimand would be your little spats with Dream’s goons? It’s like you don’t understand the consequences of what you’re doing.” He faced Tommy with intense eyes. “I understand why. I get it. We’re practically powerless, this is the only way you can feel control over them. Steal a little trinket here, deface a wall there. But you don’t see how idiotic it is to constantly target a man with unyielding wrath.”

Tommy looked to be taking in the words, but the defensiveness in his tone soon gave away the fact that it wasn’t sinking in. “I’ve only ever had to deal with back-alley brawls. It was never taken any more serious than that, why would I assume it would ever go any further?”

“If you thought critically for once, you may realize that all the blood spilt on Essempee soil indicates our leader is faster to use his sword than his words!” Wilbur spat back.

“And I’ve had the sword brought down on me plenty of times!” Tommy took a step forward, “Each time I’ve come to you bloodied and bruised, did you think I thought of myself as a victim? I knew I deserved what I got, but that’s the way we’ve always resolved our issues. It’s how things are, and I’ve always accepted the beating in exchange for the satisfaction of fucking with Dream. I don’t need someone like you to tell me that I’m being a foolish child!”

Wilbur stared down Tommy, a lower tone taking over him. 

“You know when Tubbo told me you’d been arrested I considered letting it happen. For just a moment, I thought maybe you deserved to be punished. Maybe then you’d realize how just reckless you’ve been.” 

“Well then why didn’t you let me? If I deserve it so much?” Tommy pushed, anger now rising in his voice.

“Tommy – ”

“No, why not let me serve my time, let me rot in a jail cell for a few years and when I get out I’ll be a refined citizen. Why didn’t you let them Wilbur?”

“Because they would have killed you!”

A new silence fell over the two. Tommy didn’t have anything to say for the first time in his life. He stared at Wilbur, grappling with the notion that Dream would actually have arrested him just to kill him out of view of the public eye. He’d never considered his rivalry with the ruler to be that hostile. Tommy always just saw it as playing games with higher stakes, never had treason crossed his mind. His bottom lip quivered for just the briefest moment, but he quickly shoved the dread down.

“They’ve always just.. I never..” Tommy’s voice was quiet and soft. Wilbur felt a moment of guilt at how he’d erupted at him. It never occurred to him that Tommy hadn’t realized that his actions had deeper consequences than getting a broken nose or bruised rib every time he ran into Dream’s men.

“I’m sorry.. I just won’t let you throw away your life over something like this.” Wilbur stepped forward, placing a hand gently on Tommy’s shoulder. “The important thing is that you’re okay. I got there in time. I just want you to realize that your life isn’t worth something as small as a stolen trinket.”

“I’m sorry..” Tommy started, but Wilbur shook his head.

“I’m not upset. Honestly, I’m in full support of rebelling against Dream in whatever way possible. But you can’t fight against this system without the full blown force of a vindictive ruler. Watching it happen from afar is different than being in the middle of it.” Tommy nodded, his face was pulled into a sheepish pout. It was as though he was a child being reprimanded, and he looked at Wilbur with helplessness in his eyes. Wilbur took a step back, realizing he was taking on the persona of a father rather than a friend.

“You’re in charge of you Tommy. I never wanted it to seem like I’m telling you how to live. But this world is crueler than it lets on, and to have you fall because you never fully understood how twisted Essempee is.. I just feel like that would be on me.” Tommy nodded along, never making eye contact. He wasn’t a child anymore, that was something he’d struggled to come to terms with for a while now. The decisions he made were his own, and so were whatever responsibilities that came with them.

“Thank you,” Tommy said.

“You don’t need to thank me. But from here on out, what you do is on you. I’ll still be here for you no matter what, but I also can’t take responsibility for your actions.”

“I understand. And I owe you back now.”

Wilbur looked puzzled at Tommy, “What do you mean?”

“You risked your life for mine. It’s only fair that when the time comes, I risk my life for yours.” Wilbur wanted to protest, but he had to stop himself.

“I would never ask you to do that for me. But I stand by what I said. Your life is in your own hands. Just don’t throw it away, not for someone like me.”

Tommy smiled, knowing that Wilbur was one of the only people who he would even consider doing so for. But he didn’t say that. He just thanked Wilbur again, gathered himself, and went home to spend a grateful evening with Tubbo.


	3. Gonna Need a Right Hand Man

Even though the afternoon was slowly turning into evening, Wilbur wouldn’t let the day go to waste. He knew he should stay inside and lay low until the smoke blew over with Sapnap, but he felt claustrophobic stuffed up in his home. He needed to talk through the events of the days, process what he’d gone through. Wilbur was so focused on the danger that Tommy faced that he hadn’t even stopped to realize the position he was now in. Before this afternoon he’d done everything he could to stay off Dream’s list of enemies; now he was sure he’d be at the top. If there was one thing the man craved more than anything, it was control. Challenging his authority, or the authority of anyone connected to him, was a dangerous move.

The solace of the forest within Essempee was something the Wilbur never took for granted. Thanks to the ten foot cobblestone wall, it was a relatively safe place to be. He loved watching the sun dip into the horizon, the oranges and pinks of the sky turning the trees into dark outlines against the brilliant colors. He’d always have the sunsets to ground him.

Wilbur took the long way on his walk into the tree line, passing behind the shops that stretched the main road of the Outskirts. There wasn’t much there, just some of the things the people needed to get by. The school house, Eret’s blacksmith shop, the general store, Fundy’s tavern, Niki’s bakery, and the expansive fields of livestock and crops that divided the Outskirts from the Inner City. The people out here were self-sustaining for the most part; they only ventured into the city when they had to. The people living in the city had a very negative view of the Outskirters, they had been painted as poor, uneducated, and felonious. The reputation was born from a series of both incidental and deliberate actions when Essempee was erected – or more accurately, when the new Essempee was erected.

Nine years ago a pandemic swept through the continent where the old Essempee once stood. A string of diseases ran rampant through both humans and creatures, killing some and horribly mutating others. If a person wasn’t killed by the symptoms, they decomposed into an undead monster or a fleshless skeleton. Spiders grew to the size of a child and other species devolved into unrecognizable forms. The mix of attacks from both illness and mutants caused millions to die, and everything happened too fast to adequately respond to it. The last hope for survival laid in the youngest of the population: those under twenty seemed to have a stronger immunity. The only chance of survival was for the last of the healthy citizens to leave the infested city centers, bringing with them only what they could load into their horse-drawn carts. The group – practically children – were forced to abandon their loved ones in order to live another day. The oldest among them were twenty one, the youngest merely infants. But they grew up fast because they had to. The rebuilt a society donning the name of the fallen one, and slowly a leader rose to the occasion. With many losses and countless years of struggle, they eventually secured themselves safety inside the walls of Essempee.

The survivors of Essempee were some of the lucky ones, as they were able to take refuge in the untouched Forests beyond the borders of where their old nation now lay in ruin. The population was small, only a couple hundred people, but in comparison to the other factions beyond their territory they were quite large. Many groups were dwindling in numbers, mainly due to a lack of stability and protection. Essempee managed to stand strong though.

Wilbur still remembered every trial and tribulation they went through. He was sixteen at the time, nine years ago. He remembered working besides the group of survivors to build the walls and structures within. He remembered Dream, George, and all the others being united by a common goal. At the time they were equals, but that quickly changed. Dream was a natural leader, and he was good at it. Wilbur would be a fool to deny that.

There was no conflict for the first few years, until Dream began to tighten the leash on the laws and punishments of Essempee. He drafted a set of codes for the people to follow and he enforced them strictly. Wilbur knew that they weren’t put in place to restrict the freedoms of the people, they were there to protect them. But many people, Wilbur included, disagreed with his harsh rule. However, he knew that acting against Dream would only cause more violence, and when he saw many people begin to plot ways to overthrow the newfound leader, Wilbur decided it was best to leave the heart of the city. Conflict was inevitable, and the violence was sure to be centralized, so he took himself and a group to settle further out. Sure enough, a group of rebels emerged and Essempee found itself in the middle of a civil war. The Outskirters, so they would come to be named, were among the only people who stayed out of the conflict.

Wilbur never intended to create a divide when he moved those people to safety. But Dream took advantage of the fact that those on the Outskirts were compliant and pushed all the essential labor onto them. They were the only group dependable enough to produce food, clothing, and such; everyone in the city was either fighting against Dream or couldn’t efficiently attend to their tasks because of the violence in the streets. The people on the Outskirts felt overwhelmed with the work load, but it got far worse once Dream put an end to the rebellion.

Most of the rebels were killed trying to fight Dream, and those who surrendered were forced out of the city. The Outskirters took them in, but by doing so they inadvertently took on the blame for the attempted coup. Dream defined the Outskirters as lesser than everyone else. He used them as a way to create unity between the citizens, to have a common enemy. The Outskirters were poor and uneducated, they were criminals and low lives. It was ironic to Wilbur that the majority of the people on the Outskirts were there explicitly because they didn’t want to engage in the violence against Dream, but because they took in a dozen ex-rebels they were branded as the bad guys.

Wilbur had to physically stop himself and shake the old memories from his head. Dwelling on the past wouldn’t do him any good, it just stoked the fires of anger. He came out to shake the negative thoughts away, even if just for tonight. His pace increased as he walked deeper into the tree line. He didn’t keep track of where he was going, he knew he could find his way back easily. Instead he focused all of himself on the positives he did have: everyone was safe, no one was killed or imprisoned. It seemed like simply living another day was a victory. Wilbur longed for the day when not being killed wasn’t something he had to actively be grateful for.

“Wil!” The soft voice made him jump with a start, caught off guard by the sudden interruption to his thoughts. He turned, a smile gracing his face for the first time in a while.

“Hello Niki.” Wilbur watched as she pulled her dress into a bunch, giving herself the chance to run up to him. Her blonde hair was pulled up, telling him she was baking when she saw him from behind her shop.

“Are you okay? I heard what happened with Tommy,” worry laced her voice, and she looked Wilbur over to make sure he hadn’t sustained any injuries.

“Yes, we’re okay. I managed to get Tommy back but.. I honestly don’t know what’s going to happen next. Let’s just say we didn’t leave Sapnap on a good note.” Niki nodded along, lips pursed and her brow furrowed. She didn’t want to push her stress onto Wilbur, so she did her best to keep the anxiety suppressed. Every fiber worried for her close friend, knowing what dangers he faced each day.

“If you want I could bring you and the boys whatever supplies you need for the next few days, you can stay hidden until the dust settles,” She offered. Wilbur smiled.

“Thank you Niki, that’s very kind. But you don’t need to worry about us.”

“I know I don’t need to, but I want to.” She smiled up to him. If Wilbur had one flaw, it was that he heavily downplayed the struggles he faced. Niki knew he needed someone to vent to, but he wouldn’t unless someone offered to lend an ear. He was a great advocate for others, but rarely for himself. Niki gladly took on that responsibility. “Can I join you on your walk? I’d feel better if you weren’t alone.”

Wilbur nodded, and the two stood side by side as they strolled through the trees. They walked in silence for a while. It was nice having the company of another person, even in the absence of words. Something about Niki’s presence just radiated a calm that couldn’t be rivaled. Wilbur was glad she’d joined him.

“Do you want to talk about what happened?” She finally ventured into the unknown territory of Wilbur’s mind, hoping to relieve the pressure she knew was building up. The man remained silent for a moment, but eventually lowered the flood gates.

“I’m just so tired..” The defeat in his voice was so tangible that Niki seemed to feel it too. “I’m frustrated and worn out. I don’t know how much more of this I can take.”

“Much more of what?”

“Everything. It seems like whenever we get a victory we lose twice as much. I’m trying so hard to remain positive but it’s reaching a breaking point.” Niki nodded along as he spoke, taking in his words. She answered carefully, thinking of the best way to help him unwind.

“You don’t have to hold all the weight of the Outskirts on your shoulders,” She gave him a sad smile. He sighed, rubbing his face.

“It’s not just something I can shirk off. I led these people here, I’ve been the figure they look to when they don’t have answers. Whether I like it or not, I’m the unelected leader of the Outskirts.” Wilbur paused, realizing they’d made it to the edge of the forest. The stone wall was just barely in view now. “Tommy would have been arrested and killed if it weren’t for me. I’ve had to escort Tubbo through the city dozens of times just so he wouldn’t be taken advantage of by Dream’s men. I helped establish the infrastructure of the Outskirts and I keep it functioning. I defend those who are belittled. I give food, clothing, and medicine to those who are too poor to afford it. Each day I wake up and think: what can I do today to make sure those around me get to live another day?”

Wilbur wasn’t angry and he wasn’t frustrated or sad. He didn’t necessarily feel anything, just.. tired. It broke Niki’s heart hurt seeing him so broken. She couldn’t say she understood what he was struggling with, but she knew she wanted to help. It wasn’t fair that he had to be the sole provider for almost fifty people, when he didn’t have nearly enough resources or time to do so. He couldn’t do this on his own anymore, not with the rising tension between the city and the Outskirts. Niki gently took Wilbur’s hand into her own, giving it a squeeze.

“I understand that all those things are important, and I’m not asking you to let them go. You truly are the glue that holds this community together. But that doesn’t mean you have to do this all by yourself. No one can lead alone, Wilbur” She paused for a moment, giving him a thoughtful glance. “Tommy adores you, you know that. So does Tubbo and everyone else, but Tommy looks to you like he would an older brother. You want to look after him, and I know you’re scared he’s going to get himself in deeper than he can handle.”

“He already has Niki.” She stopped, taking in his helpless expression.

“Well then give him something worthwhile, Wilbur.” The man gave her a questioning look, and she continued. “Why do you think Tommy has bounced between so many apprenticeships? It’s because he never felt passionate about what he did. He needs a cause to support, something he can put his whole being in. If you train him Wil, train him to lead, that may be just what he needs to move forward.”

The idea sat like a stone in Wilbur’s mind. Tommy Innit, a leader? It had never been something he’d even thought to consider. The boy was a spitfire, he led with his heart rather than his head. Thinking things through had never been his strong suit. His decisions were made in an instant, and that would surely lead him down a trail of disaster. But still, the notion seemed to grow and grow. Maybe Tommy wouldn’t be a good leader on his own, but with the right hand to guide him, that fire could be molded into something positive. Wilbur was almost too focused on reasoning through situations, maybe he did need someone as impulsive as Tommy to pull the trigger on tough decisions. The balance could be incredibly beneficial for the Outskirts.

“I can’t believe I’m actually coming around to that idea,” Wilbur joked with a half-smile.

“I’m not saying to give him any big responsibilities right now, we all know he’s not ready for that,” She quipped back, “But give him time. He’ll come around to it quickly, I think.”

“Thank you. I needed some clarity right now, my mind is clouded with everything that’s been happening,” Wilbur said. He looked at Niki with soft eyes. She was perhaps the purest soul he’d ever met. He loved having her close to him, but he wished she wasn’t stuck on the Outskirts. If there was anyone he felt deserved more, it was Niki. It just added to his desire to create a better world for those he loved. And she was right, he couldn’t do that all on his own.

“I’ll speak with Tommy in a few days. He needs to take some time to himself. I have no doubt he’ll have plenty of pent up energy built up. He’ll be itching to get into some kind of trouble, I’m sure,” Wilbur remarked. Niki nodded in agreement.

“Just give him something to fight for, not someone to fight against.”

Those words would ring in Wilbur’s head long after the two made their way out of the forest, and back to the world they knew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter was a bit of an exposition dump, but there's a lot of backstory that was needed to set up the universe. I've always had trouble giving background information in stories so hopefully this was easy to understand!


	4. When You're Living on Your Knees

Governing wasn’t always an exciting job, and George was learning that rather quickly. Everything that had been confiscated from the Outskirts now had to be examined, and George was the one tasked with doing so. The majority of the work was recording names and numbers of everyone on the Outskirts, on top of searching for defiance. Papers began to stack as George recorded information about each citizen, his hand ached from writing. He looked out the window of Dream’s office longingly, wishing he was out patrolling or training rather than being a clerk. Of course, he knew why Dream gave him the task; Sapnap would never have the patience or drive to actually complete the paperwork. It did bug George a bit, he wished his friend would take on more responsibility, but that wasn’t something he thought likely. Even though Sapnap was twenty one, he was still stuck in his teenage years. It had been hard on him when they left Essempee, he struggled to move past the trauma of leaving his family and friends behind. Part of George always thought Sapnap’s brash and impulsive behaviors were a coping mechanism. Underneath it all was a kind and sensitive man, but that side rarely shone through.

Two days-worth of work was finally coming to an end as George neared the last of the commandeered goods. So far he hadn’t found anything suggesting illicit activity. That was supposed to be a good thing, but he had a feeling Dream wanted him to find something to indict. He tried to work quickly, hoping to wrap up so he could go out that evening.

Dream strolled into his office with a sense of determination, and was pleased to see the progress George had made. He knew his best friend was dependable, and Dream was glad to have someone he could rely on to aid him. He didn’t like taking on the full weight by himself, and he knew that finding someone as trustworthy as George was incredibly rare.

“Anything so far?” Dream asked, looking through the papers on the top of the stack. George shook his head.

“Everything seems normal. Nothing worrisome so far,” George noted. He refrained from telling Dream about the incident with Tommy’s arrest, even though he figured he already knew. Nothing got past the eyes or ears of that man. But bringing it up now would only put Dream in a bad mood, so he avoided the subject.

“I’m surprised,” Dream stated, “And you made sure to do a thorough sweep of every person on the Outskirts?”

“Unless they had hidden compartments in their floors, I’m sure we looked everything over.” George had a bit of snark in his voice. Dream let out a “humph” and dropped into a chair besides the desk. With hesitancy, George spoke up once more.

“You know.. it has been three years since the rebellion ended. It’s entirely likely that people have come around to compliancy,” he offered.

“Maybe. But there’s still enough activity from the Outskirts that I don’t entirely believe that,” he replied. George didn’t say anything, he just went back to working. Dream sat next to him for a bit longer, watching the man read through journals, papers, and his own notes. He’d compiled quite the array of items, and Dream could tell he was detailed in his documents, as evident by the mountains of papers.

“I don’t expect we’ll ever get rid of crime all together. That’s obviously a ridiculous goal,” Dream spoke to no one in particular. “There will always be trouble to deal with. Which is probably a good thing, it gives Sapnap something to do. I love him to death but he’s got a long way to go. I’m sure he’ll eventually grow out of this phase of running around like a hooligan, but who knows how long that will be.”

George was only half listening to his friend. Dream kept thinking out loud for a while, George piping up with an agreement every so often to make it seem like he was paying attention. The brunette felt himself start to mentally give in, coming to the premature conclusion that nothing there was of any importance, when something he was reading caught his attention. His mind began to connect dots.

“Dream,” He spoke out suddenly, cutting of the leader halfway through his sentence, “I think I’ve got something.”

Tommy was being more of an annoyance than usual that next day. The three of them – Wilbur, Tommy, and Tubbo – were spending the last remaining hours of sunlight at Fundy’s tavern to unwind. Wilbur wanted to help lift their spirits after the stressful week, and Tommy was adamant that a pint would be the best way to do so. Of course, neither Fundy or Wilbur thought that would be a good idea.

“Come on, I’m eighteen! Wilbur was just telling me that I’m an adult now,” He tried to reason, but no one was giving in.

“It’s not your age Tommy, it’s you,” Wilbur chuckled, earning an exasperated looked from the boy, “I’d give Tubbo a drink, but I know he wouldn’t want it.”

Tubbo shook his head, affirming the statement. Tommy let out another groan and Fundy laughed.

“Here, I’ll give you the last piece of the cobbler Niki delivered this morning, on the house,” Fundy pushed the dessert towards Tommy, and he reluctantly took it. It seemed to tide him over for the time being.

“Are you all planning on being here this Monday? I think this month’s jamboree will be bringing in a lot of people. Wilbur, I’d love if you played in the band as well,” Fundy asked. The three nodded, agreeing happily to attend the festivities. If there was one thing Fundy was good at, it was keeping spirits high. For the past few years he’d put on a monthly evening of dancing, music, and drinks for the Outskirts.

“I’ve been working on memorizing the steps! I was thinking that I may even ask a girl to dance with me.” Tubbo’s cheeks reddened a little at the thought, and Tommy gave him a playful shove.

“Little Tubbo’s got a crush, does he?” He bantered, and Tubbo blushed even more.

“No! I’m not – I don’t have anyone in mind or anything. I just meant – just in general. Shut it Tommy,” He stuttered back, retaliating with his own, gentler push. The two continued to go back and forth teasing each other.

“How have you been Wil?” Fundy spoke softer, directing his question at the curly hair man. Wilbur breathed out a sigh, glancing over to the two boys.

“I’ve been better, in all honesty. But I keep telling myself to look at the positives. The people I care about are safe, and that’s all that matters.” Fundy smiled, nodding his head along.

“I’m glad about that. And things won’t stay this way forever. The future holds so much more for us, I’m sure of that,” Fundy stated, sounding confident in his optimism. Wilbur was glad he was, they needed someone with that kind of outlook right now.

“Hey Wil!” Tommy interrupted their conversation with a loud exclamation. “Tubbo and I are going to race to the end of the road, come time us.”

Wilbur chuckled, standing up to join the two who were already halfway out the door, “Alright, slow down then.”

Wil gave a quick nod goodbye to Fundy, telling him he’d stop in later that evening with his guitar. He hustled to follow the competitors outside, seeing them limber up as they stood on a starting line they carved into the dirt road. Wilbur went a bit ahead of them, counting them down and starting the race. They took off, dust kicking up as they pushed to outrun each other. Wil had to hurry to keep up.

They continued until they reached the bend in the road, turning just out of view. When Wilbur reached the same point as well, he was surprised to see them both stopped dead in their tracks. He soon realized why. Ahead of them a small crowd had formed in front of Wilbur’s home, and he could see men moving in and out with arms full of supplies. Tommy broke into a sprint, barreling for the crowd, followed closely behind by Wilbur and Tubbo.

Wilbur shouted over the commotion, trying to stop Tommy from breaking into the middle of a conflict. He saw the boy disappear into the fray, and Wilbur pushed even harder to catch up. He could hear the rising voices, his heart beat rose with them. When he finally shoved past the bystanders he saw a writhing Tommy held with his back against George’s chest, sword against his throat. Rage burned in Wilbur, and he stormed forward.

“What is the meaning of this!” He had been so focused on Tommy that he hadn’t noticed the pile of medical supplies that had been dumped into the street. He saw Sapnap and Dream both emerge from his home, holding his pages of writings and journals. They proceeded to throw them onto the mound as well. Wilbur stepped forward, ready to demand an answer again, and Dream quickly pulled his sword out.

“Back away, or I’ll make you,” he threatened, holding his stance. Wilbur mirrored, not moving a muscle.

“You have no right being here, I don’t care who you are!” He pushed, “Just because you created the laws doesn’t mean you’re above them. This is breaking and entering and destruction of property!”

Dream stepped forward, using his free hand to shove Wilbur back towards the crowd. Tommy tried to elbow George to free himself.

“Consider yourself lucky you aren’t being executed right now.” Dream’s voice was steady yet intense. “Conspiracy against the crown warrants death as a punishment, I’m being graceful enough to let you off with a warning.”

Wilbur stared on dumbfounded, at a complete loss. He had never conspired against Dream, never even considered it. How had the notion even come up in the first place?

Dream continued speaking, pulling out Wilbur’s journal from his coat pocket. At the sight of it Wilbur’s heart dropped. “From the hand of Wilbur Soot: ‘This nation’s leader continues to carry out his rule with oppression and control, heading a governing body that is willing to sacrifice the well being of it’s poorer citizens just to maintain a false narrative of unity. My position of leadership over the Outskirts grows steadily. Each day I wake up knowing there is so much I must do in order to reverse the mess that Dream has caused. Surely it won’t take long until the unrest among the people reaches a breaking point, and I know I’ll be ready when it does.’ Is this man your leader? Do you all wish to go to war against me, over your _unrest_?”

Wilbur watched in shock, listening to his private writings be spewed for all to hear. He knew that passage, and he knew that it was followed by the plans he’d made to maintain peace. Either Dream hadn’t bothered to read beyond that, or he was electing to ignore it.

“You twisted my words! You bastard!” Wil screamed out, trying not to let reality be altered to shape him into the bad guy. Dream ignored his cries.

“These ideals will not be tolerated. Let this be an example to you all. Anyone who dares speak against me – in public or in private – will be punished accordingly.” Dream picked up a bottle of alcohol from the pile, tossing it to Sapnap. He removed the lid, and poured it on top of the pile of supplies. Wilbur finally understood what Dream’s intentions were. He charged towards Sapnap, not having any plan other than to stop him from destroying all he had. Before he could reach him though, Dream stepped in front and swung a fist across the side of his face. Wilbur stumbled to the side, barely catching himself, as he felt Dream grab his shoulders and bring his knee hard into his gut. He crumpled to the floor, doubling over in pain with a sputtering cough.

“Wil!” A panicked yell erupted suddenly, making his heart sink. He turned to see Niki breaking through the crowd, seeming to have just joined the commotion. As she got closer Sapnap grabbed her by the waist, restraining her movements as she struggled to break free.

“Get off of her!” Adrenaline took over and Wilbur shot up, shoving Sapnap away and pulling the hysterical girl into his chest. Dream grabbed Sapnap’s arm, dragging him away from furthering the fight.

“I don’t want to have to bring down my sword on anyone, but I would sooner die than let my nation be overrun by mutineers.” Dream brought out flint and steel as he spoke, and in one swift motion sent a cascade of sparks onto the supplies. It didn’t take long for them to react to the alcohol, flames spreading in seconds. Everything seemed to freeze, Wilbur was at a loss. Everything was gone.

“If there’s anyone who still dares to defy me, step forward.” The crowd was motionless, even Tommy had stopped fighting against George’s hold. Dream looked on with confidence. “Let this be a warning. Anyone caught acting against the laws of Essempee will suffer consequences far worse than this.”

With that, Dream and his two men backed out from the crowd, leaving the remaining citizens to internalize the threats leveled against them. The despair and fear was exactly what the ruler wanted, he was fully aware of the ripple affect his actions would have. Dream had shattered the last shred of hope for the community; that hope wasn’t the supplies, or the writings, or any physical object at all. No, the Outskirters had put their faith in Wilbur Soot. And Dream had just destroyed him.


	5. The Story of Tonight

The term hopelessness never felt more appropriate than that night, as the group of Outskirters sat defeated in Wilbur’s barren home. Shelves were empty, furniture was flipped and torn apart. Nothing remained of the hospital, gone without a trace. Wilbur was utterly defeated, and so was everyone else.

Niki held a dampened shirt to Wil’s eye, cleaning away the dried blood from the cut he’d sustained early that evening. He didn’t even notice the stinging pain it caused. He was numb.

Tommy and Tubbo sat against the wall, Tubbo’s head leaning against his friend’s shoulder. Tommy stared into space. Eret and Fundy, both of whom witnessed the event, were also sat around Wilbur’s table. The two were close confidants of Wilbur and the others, and they didn’t need wait for the broken man to ask them to stay, they were the first ones to usher him away from the fire. The silence that hung in the air mixed with the sickly smell of smoke. No one knew what to say.

Tommy was the first one to make a move, getting up from the wall with a shove. Tubbo moved his head, snapping out of his own day dream. The fiery boy made his way to the door.

“Tommy where are you going?” Niki looked to the side as she asked, her voice stern.

“I’m not just going to sit around and let that bastard get away with this!” He announced.

“No, after everything that happened, that’s the last thing we should be doing.” She shot.

"But – ”

“No. You’re staying here Tommy Innit.”

Tommy had never seen Niki so intense, and the look of determination on her face alone was enough to send him back against the wall. Wilbur smiled internally, thankful that she took on the responsibility of shutting down his attempts.

“What do we do now?” Tubbo’s soft voice asked. No one had an answer.

“There’s not much we can do right now.. Perhaps we help Wilbur build back up his supplies,” Fundy offered eventually. The rest gave short nods.

“I can go into town tomorrow, keep a look out for Dream or his men. Just to make sure they don’t come back,” Eret added. Wilbur shook his head.

“No, they won’t be coming back anytime soon. They came out to make a point, and they accomplished it. Dream knew I wasn’t a threat. But he needs there to be an enemy, even if he has to create one.” The others didn’t know how to respond, so they didn’t.

“What about the people? Everyone is terrified, we can’t just leave them in fear,” Niki asked. Wilbur’s brain did it’s best to formulate an answer.

“We can.. we can lend an ear.. lend our voices. We can’t do anything to stop Dream but we can be a beacon for the Outskirters. That’s all we really can do, I suppose..” Everyone nodded, everyone but Tommy. He was still angry and he wasn’t going to just let things slide again.

“This is bullshit. Why are we still putting up with this? We don’t deserve to be treated like scum.”

“We don’t have a choice Tommy,” Fundy replied.

“I don’t believe that. We’re in charge of our own lives, no one should have the power to force us into misery. So fate’s brought us here, to Essempee, with Dream as our leader. Our lives have been turned upside once before, who’s to say it can’t happen again,” Wilbur listened to his friend’s rising passion. Something about his words sparked something in him as well. It was an idea that was so uncharacteristic that every fiber of Wilbur's being told him to ignore it - all but his heart. Deep down he knew this was something he had to do for the people he loved.

“Tommy – ” Fundy began, but Wilbur cut him off.

“Maybe he’s right though.” The agreement caught the group off guard, Tommy included. “Just because we ended up here, with Dream as our leader, doesn’t mean we have to stay here.”

“We can’t leave Wilbur, there’s no where else to go,” Eret argued.

“No, we don’t move. We stay here. But we separate ourselves.”

The idea churned in everyone’s minds as they put together what he was trying to say. A smile crossed Tommy’s face. Wilbur continued.

“The Outskirts are already disconnected from Essempee to begin with. There’s at least a mile of fields between us. We also have all the systems we need here, we’ve been practically self-sufficient since the rebellion. Nothing about the Outskirts would need to change, it would just involve agreements on where the new lines of the territories would be drawn. It would be easy to break off from the rest of Essempee and become our own city.. Our own nation even.”

One by one smiles appeared on the faces of everyone else in the room. The excitement of the idea brought life back into the dread that had been weighing on them only moments earlier.

"Wil.. could this actually work? Would Dream allow it?” Niki questioned, the biggest concern on everyone’s mind.

“I obviously can’t say for sure, but I think we could work things out,” he replied, “Dream wants to make an example of what his citizen shouldn’t be. He’s already turned us into those scapegoats. The last time there was a rebellion against Dream they were trying to overthrow him. The acted in violence. We don’t want to oust him though, we want to oust ourselves. If we go into this peacefully, negotiate with our words, we can both have what we want. Dream could still make us into the bad guys, just without the ability to command us. We get freedom from Essempee, without having to flee or use violence to take it.”

Tommy rose to his feet, excitement radiating through him. “We could do this! This is our chance to stand for up for ourselves!”

Wilbur smiled at the boys passion, looking to his other friends to gauge their reactions. They seemed to radiate a similar energy.

“Look, I know that I’ve risen into a position of leadership on the Outskirts, but I’m not the only one who get’s to make these choices. You may be my friends, but you’re also leaders in this community. In order to move forward I want the decision to be unanimous. If this is something you all support and believe in, then I will gladly take charge of this movement. So.. is this really something we think is the best course of action for our people?”

One by one each person nodded, quickly escalating into a chorus of yesses and cheers of excitement. No one could contain the joy that the new hope had spurred on, and for the first time in years the future of the Outskirts seemed bright. Wilbur had to take a moment to calm down his friends in order to decide what their next course of action was.

“I think we need a new name. I’m tired of being called ‘Outskirters’,” Tommy suggested, earning nods of agreement.

“Alright, anyone have any suggestions?” Wilbur asked.

“Well, what do we want our new nation to stand for?” Eret furthered. Fundy piped up right away.

“Our fellow man. This new nation will be for the people.”

A brief silence befell them before Wilbur raised his head from his thoughts.

“L’Manberg. We will call our new nation L’Manberg.” The idea garnered a second round of cheering from the group. The excitement of a tangible thing, a nation with a name and a purpose, only heightened their elation.

The first six members of L’Manberg spent the rest of the night together, planning and discussing what lay in store for their new nation. They didn’t part ways until the sun was sneaking above the horizon. The light felt new and cleansing, signifying the fresh start that was to come. With tired eyes and joyous hearts they parted ways, even though no one wanted to leave behind the monumental evening they’d shared. But as they went on to ready themselves for the days ahead they felt peace. They knew the splendor of the moment would be immortalized in the declaration of independence that had been written amongst them.

_Forever the nation of Essempee has cast great sins upon our people._

_They have robbed us, imprisoned us, threatened us. Destroyed the lives of our people._

_This time of tyranny ends with us._

_This document declares that the nation which shall be henceforth known as L'Manberg is separate, emancipated, and independent from the nation of Essempee._

_The union of the masters of men, together we are one. When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one to dissolve the bonds which bind us, disregarding of this truth is nothing short of tyranny._

_We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal._

_The rights of the people exist above the right of the king, the right of the government, and the right of the economy._

_From the land of L’Manberg we shall prevail._

_Life, liberty, and the pursuit of freedom._


	6. Tomorrow They'll be More of Us

Wilbur had a lot to do that next day, and the excitement of revolution coursed through him as each minute passed. All eyes would be on him, and he had to make the most of his newfound leadership. That meant reaching out to their oppressors to establish a peaceful path through the oncoming conflict.

The first thing Wilbur did was make a transcript of their declaration, hiding the original in the floorboards under his bed. He wrote Dream a letter detailing his plans for peace between the two nations, that he and his men were not going to engage in aggression in any way. In addition, it held a time and place a week from that date in which the two could meet to establish national boundaries and treaties. With the two papers in his bag, the newly anointed leader mounted his horse and rode off to the gates of Dream’s manor. When he arrived he told the guards nothing other than to pass the document off to their ruler, and left before he could hear a word back. Wilbur decided it was best to let the new information settle with Dream before attempting any in-person confrontation. He just prayed Dream felt the same.

Unsurprisingly everyone else had also begun to make preparations for the days ahead. Fundy and Niki went around to each of the Outskirters, telling them of the new plan for independence and making sure they were in support of the revolution as well. No one had any objections, and they were even happy to join the effort. Tommy had been tasked with making lists of what they would need and who was offering up assistance, Wilbur hoped some clerical work would be a good opportunity for growth. Eret and Tubbo were perhaps the hardest at work though.

A wave of heat hit Wilbur as he stepped into Eret’s blacksmith. The sound of metal hitting metal reverberated in the small space, and as he rounded the corner he could see the two bending over molten hot metal. He stood by watching for a moment, observing as Tubbo hammered a sword into shape. Eret stood next to him, occasionally shifting the apprentice's stance and correcting his technique. Tubbo nodded along with each piece of instruction, Eret was calm and stern as he guided the teenager. Wilbur didn’t want to interrupt, but after a few minutes Eret noticed him standing in the threshold.

“Wil! Shall we go over the plans for the wall?”

The previous night the group decided that best way to create a division was to build a wall around L’Manberg. Not only would it give the them the physical representation of independence, but it could provide safety if it came down to it. Eret volunteered to head the effort.

"You’re the expert builder here, what can we do to aid you?” Wilbur offered.

“Well, I think we should be able to get rolling fairly quickly. We already have one side taken care of if we connect to the original wall of Essempee behind us. I know that Dream stowed the extra stone from the original effort along the backside, just east of here. We’re also not too far from the quarry. If we get enough man power we can haul those stones over and get started this afternoon.” Wilbur nodded along enthusiastically, Eret continued. “It won’t happen overnight, but L’Manberg isn’t too large. There’s about a half mile of homes and businesses east to west, and a quarter mile out north from the wall. That’s including the lake on the west side of the main road.”

“Brilliant. Tommy’s gathering a list of those willing to lend a hand, I’m sure there will be plenty of help. I’ll be here to assist you however you need.”

“I’m leaving Tubbo in charge here while I start mixing cement for the wall. I’d love for Tommy to start sending people down to the lake, I’ll be there with all my equipment soon.” Wilbur nodded, allowing him to get to work. He was about to leave, when he heard Tubbo pipe up from behind him.

“Wil.. I’d like to help too.”

“Great, you can assist Eret with the wall, that’s definitely where we need the most man power,” Wilbur replied.

“No – well, of course I’ll help with the wall – but I meant help in a bigger way. If you’ll let me, I’d like to take on more of a leadership role for L'Manberg.” Wilbur’s heart beamed as bright as his face.

“Of course Tubbo! We’d be lucky to have you.”

The boy began to light up and he started spewing out words. “I’ve been getting better at forging armor and tools. I can build up our arsenal at the blacksmith while Eret’s out on the wall! I’m no professional of course, but I really think I can step up to the occasion.”

Wilbur gave Tubbo a hefty pat on the shoulder, knocking him off balance just slightly. “You’ll do great Tubbo. I’ve always seen great things for you, I know you won’t disappoint L’Manberg.”

Tubbo smiled, excitement about his new responsibility welling up inside him. Wilbur wasn’t just saying those things to make Tubbo feel better either, he really did see the untapped potential within him. He was smart, intuitive, loyal, kind, and so much more. He had the qualities of a great leader. He was the opposite of Tommy in many ways, which always made Wilbur laughed considering how close they were. The one thing he thought Tubbo lacked was the initiative to take on a role of leadership, and he was glad he’d been proved wrong.

It only took an hour for Dream to send a response to Wilbur’s declaration. It showed up via a messenger and dropped off with the closest Outskirter, which just so happened to be Fundy. When he saw Dream’s insignia stamped into the wax seal, his heart dropped. There was no way he was opening it then, not without Wilbur.

Fundy ran down the street, trying to find their leader amongst the small number of shops and houses. Luckily, he didn’t have to go far, as he found Wilbur standing outside his home with Tommy.

“Wil!” He called, causing them to both turn to him. “It’s a message from Dream.”

Wilbur’s face fell slightly, and he silently ushered them both inside. A deep intensity fell over them as Fundy handed over the letter. Wilbur opened it, keeping his hands as steady as he could. The writing was short, too short. The blank space of the paper made the message on it even more chilling.

 _Essempee declares war on L’Manberg_

Wilbur didn’t read it aloud, he simply passed it to Tommy. Fundy didn’t even need to see it, the look on the two’s faces said it all. Wilbur slumped into the nearest chair, his mind spinning. Everything had changed in an instant. Had he been a fool to think it would go any other way?

No. He couldn’t let this get to him. He had a duty to uphold and people to look after. There could be peace reached between the two, there had to be. Wilbur tapped his foot quickly, thinking of the best way to respond to the questioning faces of his friends.

“What do we do?” Tommy didn’t sound defeated, but ready to act. It helped Wil find the confidence he needed as well.

“We don’t win wars through fighting, we win wars through our words,” Wilbur stated. “Dream may have come at us with violence, but we will not reciprocate. Not yet.”

Fundy and Tommy nodded. Neither of them wanted to go against Dream, they were at a severe disadvantage. Openly walking into battle now would end in bloodshed. Wilbur carried on.

“I’ll write another letter back to Dream. I won’t send anyone face to face with him to talk, he wouldn’t listen. I’ll do whatever I can to convince him to back down and negotiate without our swords. Even if he doesn’t agree, that should buy us at least a bit more time to prepare. We can’t assume that Dream will retract his declaration of war, we need to ready ourselves for a fight. Tubbo has already offered to build up weapons and armor. Eret has started on the wall. If we work together we can do this. For L’Manberg!”

The others cheered at the mention of their nation. It sent warmth radiating through Wilbur. He wouldn’t be able to do this without his friends behind him, he knew that for sure. He thanked Fundy for bringing him the paper, and told him to keep Dream’s threats secret for now, only allowing him to tell Tubbo and Eret. Hopefully no attacks would be brought upon them by the days end. Wilbur held back Tommy, wanting to speak with him. He knew that now was the time to ask Tommy to be his right hand man, but he needed to make sure he was ready for the responsibility.

“I want you to come with me tonight, when I drop off my response to Dream,” Wilbur told him after the two were alone. Tommy perked up, ready for the task.

“Of course Wilbur,” He agreed, and paused. “Do you really believe Dream will agree to talk things out?”

Wilbur sighed. “I wouldn’t have offered the solution if I didn’t believe in it, though I can’t say for certain that Dream will agree. I believe it’s our best chance though. And I have a plan of sorts..”

Tommy raised an eyebrow, urging him to go on.

“I can’t ask these people to shed their blood for a movement we started. And I don’t want innocent lives lost. This fight is between us and Dream, not us and Essempee. If we get this right, we can limit the harm we do to the people.” Tommy nodded slowly, face scrunched in confusion. Wilbur took a few quick strides to his desk, pulling out a fresh sheet of paper. He began to write.

 _Dream, you say you want war. I’ve made it clear I don’t want any blood spilled upon either Essempee of L’Manberg soil. I’ve offered my peace, you’ve rejected it. However, beneath your malice I believe you’re still a reasonable person. This fight is not between our people, it’s between us. If you really wish to use violence and force, do so upon me and my men. Let this be contained. You and your officers against me and mine. My word stands, I will not take action against you unless you give us no other choice. My original offer still stands, in a week’s time I will be waiting outside the entrance to Essempee to discuss the future of our nations._

“We won’t raise our swords until there’s no other option,” Wilbur stated solemnly, “But when that day inevitably comes, it will only be the five of us.”

“And we’ll stand strong when it does.”

“Meet me here again at sundown. We go together to deliver our message.”

Even as the sun dipped to touch the earth, hands were hard at work building L’Manberg’s walls. The first layer of stone bricks had now almost completely surrounded the perimeter of their state, giving a visual to the size of their land. It wasn’t big; everything was condensed together along the main stretch, each side of the wall could be seen from practically anywhere within its confines. Wilbur looked out from his home, the darkening lake to his left, the town center to his right, and what would soon become the entrance to L’Manberg ahead of him. The dirt road that led into the fields beyond was never a more beautiful sight.

When Tommy arrived they set off on foot, preferring the concealment of moving on their own rather than by horse. They could make it to the city by the time night fell, but Wilbur brought a lantern for the journey back. Night had always made him feel at ease. Perhaps it was the stillness of the earth, the time to one’s self. He enjoyed his alone time, but having a friend by his side was a nice change of pace.

As they walked they had plenty to discuss. Tommy had an endless stream of questions about the revolution, only a few of which Wilbur had solid answers for. There was still so much left to fate, but the leader did his best to fulfill the boys need to put the pieces in place. He surely wasn’t lacking in passion.

“I can’t wait to beat Dream. He’s had it coming for so long, and I’m glad that I’ll be the one to stand against him.” Tommy’s words put Wilbur on edge. There was a fine line that needed to be balanced, and Wilbur still wasn’t sure Tommy had found it. He decided now would be a good time to find out.

“You know, I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to get some revenge.” Tommy was surprised by Wil’s words, and it made him miss a step.

“Really?”

“Yeah. I mean, I sure as hell do. He destroyed nearly everything I had. I say it’s reasonable to expect Dream get’s the same treatment.” Wilbur held a neutral face, waiting to hear what the teenager had to say.

“I suppose so. Is that why you’ve invited me with you?”

“I’m not going to be the one to enact revenge, Tommy. I’m here to deliver my message. You may have a different mission though.” They walked in silence for a while, neither acknowledging the subject. Tommy seemed to be thinking hard, evident by the way his mouth and eyes tightened every handful of seconds. It wasn’t until they reached the city of Essempee that Wilbur gave further instructions.

“Tommy, I want you to be the one to drop the message off at the gate. I’ll be right behind you, out of sight, in case they decide to fire on you. Just tell them you’re there to deliver a message, don’t carry a weapon in your hand.” Tommy nodded, anxious yet eager to do so. As they made their way through the streets Wilbur’s heart beat picked up, both scared for his friend and nervous for how he’d react to his final test. When they were almost to the manor, Wilbur stopped him again.

“Wait.” Wilbur put a hand on the boys chest, stopping his movement. He reached into his bag to pull out his bow, as well as an arrow with a piece of cloth tied to the tip.

“What’s that for?” Tommy questioned.

“I was being rash when I put this in my bag, I just thought..” He trailed off, “One well-placed shot, a flaming arrow, the damage it could do..”

Tommy pondered the idea, realizing he was right. It was the perfect way to give Dream what he deserved, after everything he’d put them through. This was his chance.

“I couldn’t do it though. I made an oath to Dream, I would not act in aggression for this revolution.” Wilbur looked at the boy, hands moving to offer him the weapon. “But you never made any such promise.”

The objects seemed to glow in Tommy’s vision, he craved to hold them in his own hands. He started towards them, but stopped. Everything Wilbur had been saying, about peace and negotiation. Memories of fighting, swords buried in chests, blood spilling on the street: the first rebellion, all those years ago. Tommy was only twelve, but the images he’d tried to bury were still clear in his mind. That wasn’t what he wanted, not for L’Manberg. Tommy flinched away from bow.

“We can’t Wilbur. I can’t. This isn’t the way we begin our revolution. It’s like you said, we won’t raise our swords until we have to.”

Wilbur couldn’t hide the coy smile at Tommy’s reply, and he slowly stashed away the bow and arrow. Instead, he placed the letter in the teenager’s hands.

“Be safe Tommy. We’re going home in one piece.”

And they did. No more than a raised crossbow was levied against Tommy, and once they finished what they came to do they escaped back into the night. Everything had played out exactly as Wilbur had hoped, and he made up his mind about what he wanted.

When they reached the safety of L’Manberg Wilbur walked Tommy to his house. They were careful to remain as quiet as possible, not wanting to wake Tubbo with the loud creaks of the porch. Tommy gave his mentor one last smile, ready to turn in for the night too.

“Before you go, I have something to ask you,” Wilbur place a hand on his shoulder, admiring the boy in this rare peaceful state. He smiled.

“Tommy Innit, I want you to be my right hand man.”

The boy stared at him, eyes lit and mouth hanging in an open smile.

“You’ve proven yourself Tommy.”

“I won’t let you down Wilbur.” The leader nodded, pleased, and turned to walk back to his own home. Before he could, Tommy made one last interjection.

“You were never going to fire that arrow, were you?” Wilbur stopped, not turning back to the boy. He chuckled to himself.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Wilbur called out as he continued down the road. Tommy laughed to himself as well.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter feels a bit rushed, so sorry about that. I was covering a lot of the timeline in a condensed version to not drag out the story. I had to get a lot of pre-war exposition covered before the action can happen.


	7. They'll Be Back

From the second floor of Dream’s home he could see everything within Essempee’s walls. The hill his manor sat upon gave him the perfect vantage point. He’d purposefully installed plenty of windows on each side just for that reason.

To the west Dream could see the meager structures that made up the Outskirts. He could see the outlines of the buildings and the faint dots of people milling about the one dirt road through the small town. He could see the stones being piled on top of each other, building up a scraggly wall around his land. Who did they think they were to claim it as their own?

Dream felt the wind whip around his coat as he stood on his balcony, watching with amusement and anger mixed into one contradicting emotion. Wilbur’s declaration had arrived with little warning signs. He didn’t think the Outskirter’s had it in them to act against him. He hadn’t anticipated this level of retaliation, but it didn’t worry him. He knew he could squash the rebellion in one easy swoop, but he wanted to let things play out a bit. He was curious to see how far they were willing to go; whether this was a spur of the moment retaliation or something they were actually going to fight for. Dream would find out in due time.

From behind him he could hear the heavy oak door creek open. He turned to see who it was, and noticed George’s figure out of his peripherals.

“Have you seen Wilbur’s response? He and Tommy dropped it off last night.” Dream nodded in response to his friend’s question.

“I saw it. It was as I expected, I suppose.” George walked up, leaning on his forearms over the railing.

“Are you agreeing then? To his proposal?”

“About keeping the war between us and our officers?” Dream hesitated, before giving a slow nod, “Yes, I am. I don’t want to force my people into a war if I don’t have to. Wilbur was smart on that front, I’ll admit. But we can still make examples of them with just the four of us.”

George joined in watching the Outskirters build the wall, the second day they’d been at work. As soon as the sun came up they were up and moving. It was impressive, he had to admit. He wondered why Dream stood by observing as well. Normally he would have stepped in and put an end to the uprising, yet he let this one gain traction. George didn’t have to ask why though, Dream began explaining without a prompt.

“The Outskirts have always been interesting to me,” he started, a hint of intrigue in his voice, “They’ve played the roles I’ve needed well, I’ve always been able to utilize them without much push back. However, I've used them as a pawn ever since the rebellion, and they know full well of that. Wilbur especially. They haven't been among our happier citizens, to put it lightly. When I sent you to search them, it wasn’t a baseless attempt. I was honestly surprised when we hadn’t found any substantial proof of unrest. I knew this was coming, it was only a matter of time.”

Silence followed, spare only for the wind and the faint current of the river that ran along the east side of Essempee. George took in what Dream said, most of it being old information. It was just one of those moments where Dream needed to think out loud, he supposed. 

“Did you use Wilbur on purpose? To start something out of nothing?” George questioned, and Dream really didn’t know. A part of him knew that destroying their hospital would cause outrage, but the other part thought the act would just push them lower into fear and submission. He was really taking a gamble on which outcome would arise.

“I suppose in the back of my mind I knew that this could spark a flame. In all honesty I didn’t think Wilbur would be the one to head a movement like this, but I’ve been wrong before. This whole 'revolution' thing, it's actually of some use to us.”

“How so?” George gave him a quizzical look. Dream grinned.

“There are two ways a ruler can control their people, George: fear and hope. Opposite in effect but similar in results. People will either live to avoid something they fear or live to keep hope going. The only problem with hope is that it fades, and when it’s gone there’s nothing in its place to keep those bonds.” Dream’s mind ran over the past nine years since Essempee had been established. He wasn’t speaking from theory, he had lived through it. He remembered the first few years of peace, when everyone was working together to create a safe state. They were unified in the trials they overcame. But once the walls were erected and safety was established, the people lost their common goal. Things changed quickly. Civilization evolved into how it had been before humanity fell, where the only thing the people cared about were themselves. They would do whatever it took to come out on top. The sense of community was broken, and Dream had no choice but to step up and create order. Everything would be lost otherwise.

“It could take years for their hope to fade,” George noted in response to Dream's statement.

“Hope can be taken George.” The words chilled the second in command, even though the sentiment wasn’t directed towards him. When Dream wanted to, he could be ruthless. George had seen first-hand what the man was capable of. He’d hate to be opposing him.

“Let them build their wall,” he continued, chuckling at the 'L’Manberg' people working away. “I want them to feel how tangible their hope can be. When they’re defeated they’ll lose more than a fleeting aspiration, they’ll lose an entire world they’ve envisioned for themselves. If you want to end a rebellion, you need to end it with a crushing blow. Leave nothing for them to hold onto."

George nodded, not doubting Dream’s words, but still not entirely comfortable with them either. He wasn’t as aggressive as his leader, and though he saw how effective his rule was, he sometimes disagreed with it. He knew his friends intention were good, deep down. He wanted to allow his people to survive in the messed up world they found themselves in. But along the way he lost sight of himself, so consumed by the responsibility of Essempee that he did whatever he could to secure it. Even if that meant becoming a controlling authority. There were times when George wished the kindness of his friend would shine through the hard exterior he’d developed.

“Do you think things will ever change?” George asked, leaning closer to Dream.

“What do you mean?”

“Do you think you’ll always need to use fear to control Essempee?” Dream took in a deep breath.

“I don’t know. That’s for time to tell. I still think our society is too young, both literally and metaphorically, to run without it.” His voice softened, he closed his eyes and let his authoritarian guise fall. “I don’t want to go on like this forever. I do what I have to in order to keep these people safe from themselves. In a perfect world I wouldn’t need to take on such an aggressive approach to governing. But in order to lead you have to make sacrifices. You’ll learn that someday.”

George gave him another questioning glance, not wanting to assume. “What are you saying Dream?”

From behind the closed door of the balcony Sapnap made his way up the stairs, searching for his friends. He’d been anxious to hear Dream’s plans for the Outskirters, aching to do something other than wait around for diplomatic decrees to be passed back and forth. He heard voices coming from outside the balcony, and went to join them. However, something Dream said stopped him in his tracks, hand frozen just as he was about to push the metal handle outward.

"Look George. Everything the light touches is our kingdom. A king’s time as ruler rises and falls like the sun. One day, George, the sun will set on my time here, and will rise with you as the new king.”

Sapnap felt his heart break open at the words. Had his best friend just promised someone else the crown? He’d never put much thought into who would take up the mantle of king after Dream, usually it was passed down through lineage. But here there were no such rules, and no sons to inherit the country. The next best thing was the closest confidant to the ruler – the man so close he was practically a brother. Apparently that was George, not Sapnap.

He took silent steps away from the door, his eyes brimming with tears. That was supposed to be him out there. He’d always been Dream’s right hand man. He ran back down the stairs grunting and rubbing his face in frustration. He loved George, he did. Ever since they'd been united under the creation of the new Essempee the trio had been inseparable. Still, he always felt closer to Dream. They had been friends as long as he could remember, long before either of them knew George. Sapnap had been there for Dream when he was forced to leave his mother behind, Dream was there when Sapnap had to abandon his siblings. They'd cried together for days as they escaped a destroyed society. They'd stood together to build a new one. The bond they shared was deeper than anyone could ever understand, not even George. So why wasn't he the one on that balcony.

 _'Don’t let this tear you down’_ Sapnap tried to tell himself. _‘You’re still his closest friend. You always have been’_.

But in that moment, Sapnap didn’t believe it anymore.

Tommy and Tubbo didn’t bother to dry off the lake water that drenched their hair and underclothes. It felt nice underneath the hot summer air anyway, even in the early evening. Both boys were glad they’d had the chance to take a dip in the small lake inside L’Manberg’s walls. They’d been sweating like crazy from their busy days, Tommy helping on the wall and Tubbo hammering away in the sweltering blacksmith. On top of that, when they weren't working to defend their nation they were training with Fundy, Eret, and Wilbur to better be able to handle both a sword and a bow. The long hours spent on the dueling grounds were draining, but they knew the hard work would pay off. Sparring with each other did help release the pent up tensions they both felt, despite how tiring it could be. Wilbur had noticed how drained the two boys had become over the days, and told them to take the rest of that evening off. They didn’t argue.

Hours spent in the water left their fingers and toes wrinkly. They’d splashed so much water at each other that their arms had tired from the resistance of the liquid. The work they’d been doing the past two days was also a contributing factor. Once the daylight faded both teens gathered their things and raced home, pushing through the exhaustion to beat each other. Tommy got there first, but only barely. Tubbo claimed his foot had touched the porch at the same time, neither giving in and admitting defeat. The teasing conversation carried on until they’d hung up their wet clothes and climbed into bed.

Their shared home was small, just one room with four walls and a roof. It had all they needed though, a stove in one corner, table and chairs in the other, books stacked along the window sills and unorganized chests brimming with each boy’s clothes and belongings. Their beds were squeezed into the far side of the home, almost touching each other in order to fit them both into the space. Neither minded the closeness though, it was nice to have someone to feel safe with.

The bedframes creaked as the two shifted into comfortable positions. Tubbo had his blanket pulled up into his chest, clutching the ball of fabric close to him. Tommy was sprawled out, still feeling too warm to have any extra layers on him. The room was darkening with each minute, and only a faint line could be seen through the curtains covering the windows. Tommy shut his eyes, ready to fall asleep, when he heard his friends calming voice.

“Tommy?” He perked up, turning his head to the right.

“Yeah?”

“Are you scared?” It was such an innocent question. Tommy felt a wave of unease wash through him, just for a moment. He’d never stopped to ask himself that question, and now he realized his answer.

“I mean.. yeah. A bit. But not a whole lot.”

“Okay. Yeah, same.” Tubbo kept his eyes fixed on his best friend, sensing the tension he’d caused with his inquiry. He scooted closer to the edge, towards Tommy. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up any bad memories.”

Tommy shook his head from where he was laying. “It’s alright. Burying it all down isn’t good anyway.”

Another beat, this time Tommy was the first to speak up again. “I don’t think things will be like they were before. Wilbur’s gonna keep us safe.”

“Just like last time,” Tubbo commented. Wilbur had been the one to save Tubbo from the city before the rebellion broke out. He never witnessed firsthand the violence that took place, only heard bits and pieces over the years. Tommy wasn’t as lucky. Tubbo pushed the subject even more. “What was it like?”

Tommy stayed still for a moment before slowly propping himself up. He hadn’t spoken about the rebellion to anyone. It was a subject no one really wanted to delve into, but he couldn’t blame Tubbo for wanting to know what happened. He’d never seen anything like it, and now they were leading a movement near identical to it.

“It was awful. I was in full support of it but.. it just lasted so long. Every day I wondered when the fighting would end, but every day it kept on going. The rebels out-numbered Dream, but he was smarter and better equipped.” Tommy steadied himself, not letting his voice waver. “I didn’t see it for a while, how brutal it all was. I was too young to really join in, no one would let me anyhow. Things were shielded from me. But when I started losing the people I looked up to.. I realized how serious things were getting. It didn’t matter to me though. I still wanted to be a part of the movement, so I did everything I could to retaliate against Dream without actually joining in the fighting. I got quite good at sneaking around and being a nuisance.”

Tubbo laughed a bit, easing the angst building in Tommy. “You are pretty good at being annoying.”

Tommy pulled his pillow out from under him and swung it at Tubbo’s face, hitting him straight on. Tubbo giggled a bit more as Tommy dragged his pillow back onto his own bed, both boys eventually calming down.

“I’ve thought about it some, if I could have had the chance to leave like you did. Looking back, I don’t know if I would have taken it. I think it shaped me into who I am, you know?” Tubbo nodded, though he didn’t have the personal experience to fully understand the weight of the statement.

“Well, I’m sort of glad the rebels lost,” Tubbo commented.

“Why’s that?”

“If the rebels didn’t lose you wouldn’t have been banished to the Outskirts. And I never would have met you.” Tommy hid his smile in his pillow.

“That’s true. But we won’t lose this time,” Tommy stated with confidence. He truly believed that as well. He’d witnessed the fall of an unorganized, aggression based rebellion. The faults of those before were engraved in his head. Wilbur wasn’t making those mistakes though. Tommy and Tubbo both had full faith in their leader.

“For the revolution,” Tubbo mumbled, nestling into his blankets. Tommy whispered the sentiment back as he too drifted off to sleep.


	8. Between the Sinners and the Saints

Four more days passed without a word from Dream. Wilbur should have been celebrating, but an uneasiness had settled in his stomach that he couldn't seem to shake. All he wanted was answers. He didn't even know Dream’s response to his second letter, he didn’t know if he’d try and attack L’Manberg as a whole. That’s the last thing he wanted. Not for his sake, for the sake of his people. His people. Wilbur had said the phrase to himself so often that it no longer seemed foreign. It really hadn’t taken long for him to fully accept the position he’d been put into. Wilbur needed a title, he thought to himself. He couldn’t call himself ‘leader’ forever.

At the end of the sixth night, almost a week since the declaration had been drafted, Wilbur decided he needed to unwind. At that point he knew he wouldn't be able to do so with his will-power alone, he needed a drink. He was off to Fundy as soon as everyone working on the wall went home for the night. He was proud with what they’d managed to accomplish in the time given. The wall had reached above his head, about eight feet. It wasn’t much, and it was nowhere near as polished or tall as Essempee’s wall, but it would do.

When Wilbur entered the tavern he found it to be mostly empty. A few people milled about, some of them still in their sweat and dust stained clothes. Pride overtook Wilbur seeing them cheerful and untroubled. A newfound solace was beginning to bloom for the L’Manbergians. Wilbur was sure he’d be there too, once the conflict had been resolved.

As soon as he sat down at the bar, Fundy had a beer ready for him. Wilbur cocked a smile.

“First one’s free. I will charge for the rest though,” The man winked, and Wilbur chuckled.

“Fair enough.”

For the next hour Wil chatted with Fundy, and every now and then someone would join in the conversation, either to thank Wilbur or just to talk. He appreciated the comradery, and for some odd reason his mind drifted off to Dream. He wondered what he did all day. He was rarely out and about his own city. Sure, he’s got his close friends, but doesn’t he get lonely? Wilbur didn’t understand how a person could carry on so isolated from the very country they’re leading. Wilbur was on his third drink, maybe that’s why he couldn't clear his head of his enemy.

It got to be close to midnight when the last person departed, leaving Fundy and Wilbur alone. He’d been quiet for a while, Fundy noticed.

“What’s on your mind?” The bartender asked, cleaning up from the last of the patrons.

“Dream,” he replied candidly. Fundy lets out a hum in reply.

“What about Dream?”

Wilbur finishes off his beer, leaning back in his seat. “I just.. He’s somewhat of an enigma. I think I know what he’s about and then, I don’t.”

Fundy laughs, nodding along.

"I really want to hate him. I do,” Wilbur sighed, “He’s our enemy. And he’s tormented us for years. He literally destroyed all our medicine and tried to have Tommy arrested. But still, I can’t help but feel.. pity for him.”

“Wilbur, you’re one of the most empathetic men I know. I don’t think you have it in you to hate anyone, not even Dream,” Fundy pointed out, now sitting to join him. Wil nodded half-heartedly.

“I suppose so. But Dream is _evil_. He’s a terrible person for what he’s done.”

“He’s done terrible things, yeah. But a person isn’t always defined by what they do. I’m not saying he’s a good person either, but there are few people out there who are truly rotten to the core.” Fundy gave Wilbur’s knee a pat before standing to take away his empty glass. “It’s hard to hate him because you knew him before he was this way. A lot of us did.”

The statement rang true in Wilbur’s mind. He did know Dream, he saw the man he once was. Before he stepped into power, Dream was much more carefree and giving. He was supportive of the people, and he started out as a good leader for the group. Wil also watched him evolve with time, turning into someone almost unrecognizable. Wilbur worried the same would happen to him.

“Can you promise me something, Fundy?” The man turned his full attention to Wilbur. “Promise me that if I ever turn into Dream, you put me in my place. Do whatever it takes to shake some sense into me.”

Fundy nodded. “I will. But you don’t have to worry about that happening to you. Dream.. he was always much more intense, to say the least. I could see it, and I think you could to. Sure he was, and maybe still is, a good guy underneath, but power can bring out a different side in people. Dream’s side just so happened to be aggressive and controlling. But I’ve seen the way you handle power. It won’t change you into Dream, you don’t have that in you.”

Wilbur smiled, not doubting that his friend was telling him nothing but the truth. “Thank you. I think I needed that.”

“No problem Wil.” A pause, Wilbur leans back, finally relaxed.

“I still want to hate him.”

“Maybe it’s okay that you don’t.”

As soon as Fundy finished his statement, the front doors creaked open. Wilbur turned to see Niki standing with her arms full of unbaked goods. She wore her simple blue dress, no petticoat underneath to give it volume. It was covered in floured handprints. Wilbur could tell she’d been working all day.

“What are you doing here so late?” Wilbur questioned, immediately getting up to help her carry the food.

“It’s Sunday, I always bring goodies in for Fundy before the week starts. I’ve just been busier than usual this past week, got around to it late.” Fundy thanked her for the delivery, stowing away the items to be used in the coming days.

“Shouldn’t you be in bed?” Niki laughed, noticing the slight lean of his stance and immediately recognizing Wilbur’s indicator of having a few drinks.

“I wanted a relaxing evening, what can I say?” He grinned down at the short girl, placing an elbow on her head. She giggled and moved out from underneath him.

“You certainly deserve it Wil,” She said. Fundy came back from his kitchen.

“Maybe you should take him home, we all need to get some sleep,” Fundy suggested, gathering his things to leave as well.

“Sure, come on Wilbur, let’s get you tucked in,” Niki teased, pulling his arm towards the door. He chuckled, but followed suit. The two waved Fundy goodbye and started off towards Wilbur’s cottage. They joked back and forth for most of the walk and Niki was glad to see him to lighthearted once more. The toll of the revolution had been wearing on him.

“Are you sure you’re okay with walking back home on your own?” Wilbur asked as they passed by Niki’s cottage. She nodded her head.

“I’ll be okay. It’s only a five minute walk.” Wilbur still didn’t seem too sure, but Niki grabbed his hand reassuringly. “It’s fine. I know you’re on edge, but we’re safe for now.”

“Any moment that could change though. I just.. I want everyone to be safe. If anything happens I know it’ll be my fault.”

“It won’t be Wilbur. This choice was made by all of us. We know what we signed up for.” She never let go of Wil’s hand, and slowly he laced his fingers with hers.

“You, Fundy, Tommy, everyone here, they’re family. They’re all I’ve got.”

“And we’re not going anywhere.” She gave his hand a squeeze, willing him to stop his negative train of thought. No words were exchanged until they reached Wilbur’s front door. He didn’t want to let go of her.

“I’m terrified,” he admitted, hand trembling slightly, “Niki what if things end the same way the rebellion did. What if I lose the people I love over a fight we aren’t able to win?”

She stood by wordless, not sure how to answer honestly. She didn’t know what lay in store. She couldn’t say for sure what the outcome would be. That hurt her just as much, it hurt not being able to give Wilbur the reassurance he needed.

“It’s okay to be scared.. I’m scared too. But fear will get us nowhere. What we have here is something worth fighting for. I know that. We will face struggles, but at the end of it all we will have stood for the people we love. This is all for your family Wil.” Her words were enough to quell the storm building inside his mind. He pulled her into a hug, resting his head on hers.

“Please stay,” he whispered into her hair. A beat, Wil felt her tense slightly in his hold, but she nodded against his chest. Slowly, the two made their way inside, Niki gently pulling Wilbur’s coat off and hanging it on the hook by his door. She watched him remove his shoes and outer shirt, moving further into the space. He gave her an expectant glance, and she took off her shoes as well. Words didn’t need to be spoken between them, they both climbed into bed, Niki half propped up against the backboard. Wil laid his head against her, feeling the anxiety lift almost instantly. Something about her made Wilbur feel whole. If there was one person he needed to protect, it was Niki. He didn't realize she felt the exact same way for him.

The night was still and quiet and eventually their breaths feel in sync as they laid together. Niki felt Wilbur settle in her side. Her heart fluttered and she untensed the muscles she hadn't realized were still holding onto her anxieties. The girls chest rose and fell in increasingly slower rhythms. Everything around her brought absolute comfort, something difficult to find recently. With a tired hand, Niki ran her fingers through Wilbur's hair, humming a soothing tune to lull the overworked man into a peaceful slumber.

As the first week of the revolution drew to a close the people of L’Manberg had high spirits. The lack of aggression from Dream had made them feel almost too comfortable. Only the leaders of the new nation knew about Dream’s declaration of war, the rest were blind to the potential danger. Wilbur was wondering if that was still a wise choice after all.

Eret joined Tubbo at the blacksmith that afternoon, feeling confident about the work that had been done on the wall. He trusted his apprentice to follow through, but he was sure the pressure was getting to him. Tubbo not only had to make weapons and armor for their oncoming war, but had to meet the needs of the rest of the people as well.

“You’ve done extremely well Tubbo. I’m proud of what you’ve accomplished for L’Manberg.” The teenager beamed at his mentor, happy for the praise of his hard work.

“Thank you Eret. I’m glad I could help.” Eret examined the chest plates Tubbo had forged the previous night, only seeing a few errors and dings in the metal. He felt confident knowing he’d passed on his craft to someone who could take up his mantle, God forbid something happened to him. He gave Tubbo a proud smile, complementing his work again. Tubbo unabashedly lapped up the praise.

“You've been more than a help Tubbo. We're lucky to have you."

"Thank you, again. Is there anything else I can do?" Tubbo asked,

"Other than your work here, not much. I do have an errand I need to run though,” Eret stated, voice dropping its certainty. “We’re running low on iron, I need to buy some off of Essempee’s blacksmith. We don’t have time to mine our own.”

“I could go!” Tubbo exclaimed, wanting a chance to prove himself. If he could do this for Eret, Wilbur would see how valuable he could be. Eret scrunched his nose, shaking his head.

“It’s risky venturing into Essempee right now, I don’t want you to put yourself in danger -”

"The blacksmith is on the edge near the quarry, I wouldn’t even have to travel that far into the city. Besides, the blacksmiths know you’re from L’Manberg, they might not want to sell anything to you. No one knows I work for you!” Tubbo did his best to convince his mentor. He had to do this.

“I don’t know.. Are you sure you feel confident enough? I don't want you to think you have to prove something,” Tubbo nodded vehemently, ignoring the last part. Eret swayed on his feet, shifting as he thought it through. Hesitantly, he pulled out the funds he’d planned to use.

“Okay. Take this, buy as much as they’ll sell you. But be careful, keep your guard up, wear your hat low on your head so no one recognizes you.” Tubbo took the coins with confidence, puffing up his chest and nodding along. “Take my horse, I already have the cart attached to it. If you’re not back by supper I’ll come after you.”

Tubbo grabbed his belongings, said a final thank you and goodbye, and started off towards Essempee. This would be his chance, he thought. His first task that could show how much of an asset he was.

Tubbo didn’t anticipate the man keeping watch in the fields of tall grain.

Halfway between the two countries an armed man emerged, blocking the road he was travelling on. His heart plummeted as he recognized the threat.

“I don’t want any trouble,” Tubbo couldn’t help the way his voice wavered.

“Well that’s a shame, that’s exactly why I’m here,” The smile that crossed Sapnap’s face showed how much he enjoyed the fear he was instilling on the teen. Tubbo didn’t know what to do, the crossbow in his enemy’s hand made him realize he didn’t have a strong chance of running, especially not with the cart attached to the horse. He wondered if he’d be shot regardless.

“Get off the horse.” He demanded, and Tubbo raised his hands to show he wasn’t going to fight back. As he slid off the saddle, Sapnap took a few strides over to grab him by the back of his jacket. Tubbo yelped in surprise as he was thrown to the ground. He felt the hilt of his sword jab into his side as he landed on his stomach, and he reached to grab it. Sapnap was faster though, and he slammed his boot into his back. He snickered

"Dream will be so pleased to see who I’ve found.”

Tubbo felt sick to his stomach. His first chance to prove himself and he’d already ruined everything.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but Tubbo found himself alone, tied tightly to the base of tree. He wasn’t exactly sure where he was, he’d been blindfolded when he was taken there. All he could see were trees, somewhere in a forest in Essempee. Sapnap had secured his hostage before marching off, Tubbo could only assume to fetch his leader. His arms were beginning to burn from the rope that wound around him over and over, but there was nothing he could do about it. He'd struggled plenty, nothing was going to come loose. His legs were the only things freed, sprawled out in front of him as he sat and waited for his fate to be decided. When it came, Tubbo sucked in a nervous breath.

As the three men entered his line of sight, he was overcome with the thought of death. He was completely at their mercy. Tears threatened to spill onto his cheeks, but he held them back. If these were truly his last moments he wanted to be brave. He wouldn’t give them the satisfaction. 

“What do you want with me?” Tubbo dared to ask when they came to a halt in front of him. Dream looked down, stone faced. There wasn’t a weapon in his hand, which helped ease the boy’s anxieties.

“I want to make an example.” Tubbo shuddered, the ambiguity of the statement didn’t give him the answer he needed. He tried to focus on his thumping heart, willing it to slow.

“You’re my ticket into L’Manberg, Tubbo,” Dream continued. The teenager shook his head.

“I’m not letting that happen,” he protested. The man in front of him let out a genuine laugh of amusement.

“You don’t have a choice.” Tubbo felt the restraints go slack and he was lifted to his feet, rough hands gripping him on each side. He tried to wrench himself free even though he knew his attempts would be pointless. He wasn’t going to give in so easily.

The sound of boots moving through the undergrowth was the only thing that accompanied the group, no one spoke. As the line of trees broke into the plains Tubbo felt himself sink lower and lower into helplessness, and he prayed the men wouldn’t do anything to harm his friends. They approached the gates of L’Manberg, Tubbo couldn’t see anyone working on the wall from where he stood, and couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or not.

“You’re going to walk with us, don’t say a word. We do the talking,” Dream commanded. Tubbo didn’t acknowledge him, but still did as he asked. They moved in close enough to catch the view of someone just starting to open the gates, a face Tubbo immediately recognized. Eret. The two locked eyes at the same time. Eret froze in between the large wooden doors which were now opened just wide enough for one person to walk through. He saw the three kidnappers, and raised his sword immediately.

“Let him go!” He spat.

“You really want to do this Eret? Three against one?” George stated, and the man quickly glanced between the opponents.

“If you let us into L’Manberg we won’t lay a finger on the boy. You have my word,” Dream promised. Eret looked behind him to their city, contemplating his options. He really didn’t have any, all he could do was hope Dream meant what he said. He holstered his weapon and opened the heavy doors, allowing access to their home.

Tubbo felt George’s grip disappear, now being handled only by Sapnap. George instead drew his sword and pushed Eret away, commanding him to stay away from the group. Dream took the lead and walked through the entrance with purpose. Several people had now seen the advancing threat, but no one knew what to do. People stood frozen in fear, not daring approach Essempee’s king. Sapnap continued to move Tubbo forward, not giving him a chance to make sure Eret was okay. He didn’t pay attention to where they were walking until they stopped in front of a familiar home. His and Tommy’s home.

“What – ” Tubbo started, but was tossed to Dream before he could get out his confusion. Dream pulled Tubbo in front of him, facing towards the street. He could see the crowd beginning to form, horrible memories of the week prior flaring up in his mind. It was all to similar.

“Tubbo?” The alarmed voice rang above the murmurs of the people. Tommy pushed through to see his best friend, Wilbur and the others close behind. Tubbo wanted to cry all over again.

“Dream, let him go. He’s just a boy,” Wilbur demanded, stepping forth to take charge.

“If he can sign himself up for a revolution, he’s not a boy anymore,” Dream replied with a sneer. “I’m not here to negotiate Wilbur. You want this war to be between your men and mine, that’s fine. I’m here to show you exactly who you’re fighting against.”

Tubbo felt himself get pulled against Dream’s chest, sword to his neck. His friends made a move forward in fear, but didn’t take more than a step. Tubbo squeezed his eyes shut.

“You think burning a few bandages was bad? You think that’s the worst thing I can do?” Dream questioned, his voice growing louder. Tubbo felt a sudden heat grow to his right, seeing Sapnap pass off a lit torch to Dream. The man drew back his sword, using the same arm to shove Tubbo forward. Tommy ran forward to drag him away from the fire-wielding tyrant. The two watched in horror as Dream tossed the torch onto their porch, the flames lapping up at the worn down wood. No one breathed, consumed by the dread of watching the wooden structure slowly become engulfed. Dream, a satisfied smirk across his face, turned to address them one last time.

“Wilbur, and Tommy, and the rest of L’Manberg. We are at war. There is no mercy. We have destroyed your medical supplies, we have burnt down Tommy and Tubbo’s house, and we have given you our final warning. We have no mercy for you! Do you understand? We will come, we will burn down your houses, we will kill everything inside your walls, and we will take back the land that is rightfully ours, if you do not surrender. I want to see white flags! White flags outside your walls, by tomorrow, at dawn, or you are dead!”

And so they were left to decide their fate.

One by one the people of L’Manberg looked to their leader, no one knowing what the future held for them. All seemed lost. Wilbur couldn’t let them down. He stood tall, he turned his back to the flaming building, and he addressed his people.

“Men, this is not something to fear. I understand how impossible that may seem, but we are strong. What has Dream used to control us for years? How has he continued to oppress us? Fear. If we deny him the ability to control us, then he holds no authority over us. Do you know why they’re attacking us? Power, greed. If we can show that our nation is strong enough to hold up against Dream and his men, then we can show that we are strong enough to run independently. This is how we show that we are a nation. If we can hold this off, if we can thwart their advances, then we can win our freedom. We will stand strong. Are you with me?”

Soft voices bubbled above the cracking of fire, growing in volume until the noise echoed into the sky. It rang our greater than the hopelessness that tried to consume them.

“We will fight for you,” Wilbur motioned to his men, who all nodded, “We will protect you. Until our dying breath we will stand for L’Manberg.”


	9. Rise Up

When Tubbo jolted awake the next morning he didn’t know where he was. Visions of flames danced across his mind as he was pulled back to reality with a petrified gasp, only being grounded by the gentle snores of his best friend. A few moments and he remembered he was safe, sleeping on Niki’s floor next to Tommy. He sighed in relief, sinking back into the pile of blankets that had been laid on the floor for the two. Tommy was still out like a light, Tubbo scooted himself slowly to lie next to him. He felt his friend stir slightly, not sure if he was awake or not. Either way, Tommy shifted himself and buried his head deeper into his friend.

Tubbo stayed there for awhile longer, taking in the safety of the moment. Every time he closed his eyes he felt his enemies shoving him forward, the sword against his neck. He saw the fire engulfing his home, the look of despair on his friend’s faces.. on Tommy’s face. It was all his fault. If he hadn’t tried to prove himself, if he hadn’t been caught, if he’d fought harder to escape his tormentors, then maybe he could have prevented the events of the previous night.

 _'No..’_ Tubbo told himself. _‘Thinking like this won’t help anyone’._

Yes, things were bad. But things were going to be bad no matter what had happened. The same outcome would have arrived regardless. Beating himself up would only make matter worse. Tubbo knew that Dream was watching for flags of surrender, and he knew that they wouldn’t be raised. Battle was about to break out, they needed to be ready. Tubbo needed to prepare for war.

Dawn was just beginning to break when Tubbo quietly slipped out from next to Tommy. He wasn’t sure if Eret would be at his shop yet, but perhaps he could get in early to finish out the armor he’d been working on. They’d completed four whole sets, close to five. They were almost done.

Tubbo had gathered his shoes and coat and was ready to leave when he heard Niki’s voice behind him.

“Where are you going?” She called softly, not wanting to wake the other sleeping boy. Tubbo turned and gestured towards the door.

“I’ve got to go help get ready. Dream could be here any minute.” Niki paused, holding her gaze with Tubbo for a moment.

“I think it would be better for you to stay here, just for a bit. Fundy and Will are on guard duty and Eret’s already working to finish up the armor and weapons,” She turned to her back door, motioning with her head, “Come out back, we’ll let Tommy sleep.”

Tubbo wanted to object, but her voice was serene and sure and he didn’t feel like he had the option to say no. So, he followed her into the garden and joined her on a wooden bench. She already had a stack of fabric in a pile waiting.

“Have you ever sewed, Tubbo?” She asked, placing a half finished shirt on his lap. He shook his head.

“Not really.”

“Well then I’ll teach you.” She quickly threaded a needle, handing it to the boy. She did so for herself too, and pulled out an almost completed navy blue coat. Tubbo stared on, a bit confused by the seemingly random task.

“Niki, how is this meant to help the revolution?” He asked.

“You boys need uniforms, don’t you?” She smiled. “I’m almost done, I just need some help if I want to have them ready by this afternoon.”

“But.. I should be helping Eret, I should be working – ”

“Tubbo, you’ve done so much already,” Niki placed a hand on his knee, silencing him gently. “Everything you’ve built for L’Manberg, the effort you’ve put in, it’s been incredible. All of that’s taken care of, now it’s time for you to prepare yourself. You’ll never win if your mind isn’t centered.”

He nodded, not entirely pleased that he couldn’t be out there, but also glad for the break. Maybe taking a morning to unravel the pent up anxieties could do him some good. So he agreed.

Niki took a few minutes to show him how to make a proper stitch and how to make sure the piece of the shirt were attached correctly. The pattern of the sleeves had already been cut and prepped, he just needed to sew them on. Tubbo went to work doing his best to create an even seam, frequently glancing over to Niki to see if he was doing it right. By the time thirty minutes had passed he'd finally gotten the sleeve sewn onto the shirt, albeit a little crooked. Still, Niki seemed proud of his hard work. It was satisfying in a way Tubbo hadn’t expected.

Tommy woke up not too long after that, and he too was roped into the sewing circle. He was far less content with his task, complaining whenever he poked himself with the needle or lost the piece of thread he was using. Eventually he came around to it too, face going slack in total concentration. Niki couldn’t help but smile as she watched the young boys, happy to give them one last peaceful morning. She knew their world was about to become dark and cruel in the blink of an eye. It broke her heart. She still saw them as children, children about to go to war. She simply prayed they would come home at the end of the day.

As the morning rolled on there was still no sound of alarm from the guards atop their walls. It was as though, in that small garden, the conflict had frozen to let the two best friends have one last calming moment together. After they'd finished their respective projects, Niki gave them each their uniforms to try on. The boys hurriedly went inside to change into the ensemble, remerging with pleased faces. They stood tall in their coats, marveling at how official they felt in their matching outfits. They strutted around the garden, playfully shoving each other and testing the limits of what they could do in their new clothing. Of course, after that they had lost all interest in sewing and became too distracted to help Niki finish off her work. Tommy started going on about the time he’d pickpocketed George and got twenty silver pieces without getting caught, meanwhile Tubbo had made friends with the honey bees that buzzed between Niki’s flowers. It didn't bother her though, she rather enjoyed the company as she stitched on the last few buttons of her coat. All was happy between them, a beautiful calm before the storm.

When Eret came to relieve Wilbur from his position that afternoon, the first thing he did was make his way down to the forests edge. He knew he could still hear the sound of alarm bells should conflict erupt, but it gave him enough space to sit and plan out his strategies without distractions. Well, almost no distractions.

He’d laid out all his papers, drawings, and ramblings around him to delve into his plans, when not ten minutes later he heard footsteps approaching. He had one guess who it could be, and he was confident as he called out to her. 

“Hello Niki,” He hummed, earning a small laugh back.

“How’d you know it was me?” She sat down next to him, bundle of clothing in hand.

“Who else would know to find me amongst the trees?” Wilbur leaned back, resting on his palms. He gave a warm smile to the girl.

“You seem calmer than I expected,” Niki noted.

“I am. I’ve sort of surprised myself as well,” he admitted, sitting up again to shuffle through his papers, “I don’t know if it’s the planning, or the fact that we haven’t seen Dream yet. Maybe it’s just that I can’t physically feel stress anymore after having so much anxiety for weeks. Either way, I suppose it’s a good thing.”

Niki nodded in agreement, staying silent as she watched Wilbur get lost in thought. Eventually he came back from wherever his mind took him, and he noticed the clothes in her lap. “What do you have there?”

“I decided that if L’Manberg was going to have a revolution, it needed a uniform.” She handed him the jacket, shirt, and pants. Wilbur unfolded the pieces, taking in the pieces. The richness of the blue mesmerized Wilbur, the gold buttons and matching shoulder pads seemed to glow in the sun, everything about the uniform, each detail, was perfect.

“This is amazing Niki. When did you have time to do this?”

“I stayed up late a few nights, or whenever I had any down time. Tubbo and Tommy helped me as well. Don’t worry though, I made yours myself,” She teased, reacting to Wilbur’s worried expression. He threw the coat on over his shirt, moving around in the fabric for the first time. It fit him like he was destined for it.

“Now you really look like our President, Wilbur.” The title made him pause.

“President..” He pondered, “You really think I’m deserving of that honor?”

“Of course. You’ve more than earned it.” The compliment touched Wilbur, he was glad to be held so highly.

“President Wilbur Soot,” Niki repeated, pretending to think by tapping her finger to her chin, “I think it suits you perfectly.”

Wilbur laughed, running his hands down his coat again. Everything seemed to be falling into place, he only hoped the streak would continue into the next week. God knew they needed it.

“Thank you, for everything. I feel like I’ll never be able to thank you enough,” Wilbur said, sitting back down and gathering his things.

“It’s the least I can do. I’m not out there on the battlefield, but I’m still a part of this revolution. Even if it’s just for morale.”

“Well, I’m sure these uniforms are exactly what our men need. I ought to go rally the troops, we have a long day ahead of us.” He stood, helping Niki to her feet as well. He gave her one last hug, pulling her close.

“Good luck President Soot.” she said, pulling back and holding his hands in hers.

“I’ll see you soon Niki.”

“See you soon Wil.”

The difference in atmosphere between L’Manberg and Essempee was astounding. From within the walls of the new nation tensions ran high and everyone had their head on a swivel. Hands were itching to pull swords at the slightest hint of danger, and plans were being made for any possible scenario. The king of Essempee, on the other hand, was calm and unmoved. He didn’t have a reason to fear, he need not worry about the enemy attacking. He had L’Manberg in his hand, and he knew it.

George, Dream, Sapnap, and Punz all sat around the table in the early evening, sharing drinks and laughing. It was as though the group hadn’t just declared war with a rival nation. They had no reason to worry, they thought. They didn’t need to spend the time preparing or strategizing. The confidence was so tangible, almost venturing into arrogance. The next play was theirs to make anyway, why not leave the rebels on their toes. They knew they’d lay awake at night, fearing for the moment the enemy would break through their walls and slash them to pieces.

Dream wasn’t sure how he felt about the lack of surrender from L’Manberg. On one hand, not having to fight them would save them the effort, but it wasn’t as though he was losing anything otherwise. He wasn’t enlisting his citizen to fight in an army, and his officers were skilled enough to take down the five men who stood against them. Yet there was a small, nagging hurt in the back of his mind that he didn’t let come to light; at least not to any of his confidants. That part of his brain didn’t really want to kill anyone else. At the end of the day, he grew into this country alongside the people he was fighting. They had once been allies, acquaintances even. That part of him wished they’d surrendered, just to avoid being put in a situation that forced him to kill an old friend.

But Dream didn’t dwell on those thoughts, that wasn’t what their night was for. It was the opposite, to have one final evening of fun and banter before they buckled down and put an end to L’Manberg. They’d drink until they forgot about the traitors and focus on the comradery they shared. An hour in and that exact effect was already taking place. The incoherent shouting and jests that echoed around the room filled the space with merriment almost as intoxicating as the alcohol.

Sapnap was the only one who wasn’t entirely joyous though. He tried to let himself go, focus on having fun with the companions. But the memory of the conversation between George and Dream wouldn’t leave his mind. He picked up on every exchange the two shared, from Dream butting up against George when he teased him, to the way George laughed when Dream cracked a joke. The two seemed so happy with each other, so happy without Sapnap there. He hadn’t spoken in the last fifteen minutes, and no one seemed to notice. Alcohol fueled his growing anger. Was he not good enough? What did George have that he lacked?

Sapnap thought back over the last few weeks. Dream had asked _George_ to head the search order on the Outskirts. He’d asked _George_ to sift through the confiscated goods. When Sapnap was off waiting to take a L’Manbergian hostage, Dream stayed back with _George_ to strategize. On that fateful night so long ago, when Dream had throw himself and Punz out in a fit of rage, he allowed _George_ to stay.

And all of a sudden, the realization embedded in his brain. All this time, Dream had been entrusting George with every important task. The only times Sapnap was sent on a job was when it required a strong man: mindless, simple tasks. Dream didn’t trust him. Dream didn’t think he could rise up to the occasion. Years of friendship and loyalty meant nothing, apparently. No, Sapnap would need to prove to Dream that he was just as good as George – better even.

Sapnap didn’t say a word as he got up from the group, leaving to fetch his horse with nothing but a torch and flint and steel. The three didn’t notice the prolonged absence of their friend until he was already halfway to L’Manberg.

The man had fire in his heart, and he was intent on spreading it. He’d made his way to the right of L’Manberg’s walls, knowing he wouldn’t make his way inside alive. However, he knew he didn’t need to be inside the walls to inflict the damage he wanted to. Forest surrounded the sides and back of L’Manberg, only separated by the walls that broke up the territories and the outside world. Those walls couldn’t keep out everything though.

There was never reasoning in Sapnap’s mind as he swung his flaming torch across the leaves of the oak trees, turning the greenery into singed, blackening ash. The fire ate up the foliage, slowly spreading down the branches and trunks. It wouldn’t be long until it was entirely engulfed. Adrenaline rose in the form of excitement as he made his way down the trees, not staying around long enough to face the rising heat. The glow of the flames soon overtook the light of the setting sun. His friends could already see the carnage taking place from afar as the approached him.

Sapnap could faintly see people from L’Manberg attempt to douse the fire that was spreading closer to their walls. Water was being thrown at the dancing flames, desperate attempts to save the trees within their land. The gap between where the outside forest ended and the inside began was large though, and with the attempts to stop it, Sapnap wasn’t sure the fire would make it’s way into L’Manberg. He couldn’t let that happen.

His friends made it to him just in time to cut off his furious march towards the revolutionaries. The torch in Sapnap’s hands was burning low, glowing red from the embers.

“Sapnap!” Dream called as he jumped down from his slowing horse, “What the hell are you doing?!”

The man dropped the extinguished torch to his side, gesturing to the forest with his other hand.

“I’m fulfilling the promise you made!” He announced, George and Punz now joining Dream’s side. “We told them we’d burn down their city, that’s exactly what I’m doing!”

Dream stared on in shock, blindsided by the aggressive actions of his best friend. He knew he could be impulsive, but this? It was a whole new level.

“Just put the torch out. You’ve done enough damage,” Dream's tone was soft yet demanding, he took a step closer.

“I did this for us.” Sapnap’s voice was smaller, his assertive visage dropping.

“I know. I know..” Dream was right in front of him now, taking the torch from him and snuffing out the last of the fire. There was something off about his friend, he just had no idea what had caused him to spiral like this. Perhaps it was the stress of the new conflict, he thought. He'd been through so much, practically everything he'd done to assist in their war efforts revolved around aggression. Whatever it was that was making him snap, Dream knew Sapnap needed to be out from the middle of it. He was too consumed by the conflict to make rational decisions.

“Let’s go home, Sap. We’ve got a war to fight tomorrow.”


	10. All Out Stand

“Men, now is the time to act. We’ve hidden in the shadows for far too long, we must be the ones to make a first move. If all we do is react, we will never gain an advantage.” Wilbur paced up and down the length of the room, addressing the four uniformed men in front of him. They’d rallied at dawn, ready to finally advance on Dream and gain a win for themselves. He was proud of them, not once had their spirits dropped. They were ready for whatever the war had to throw at them.

“We’re lucky the fires didn’t spread into our walls, but the stunt they pulled has proven that they won’t hold back. Dream is ruthless, and we need to outmatch him. We may not have the brawn to beat out Essempee, but we certainly have the brain. The element of surprise is needed. We can’t just go in guns blazing. We need to gain an upper hand, and I have just the plan for that.”

In the next thirty minutes, Wilbur laid out the detailed strategy he’d crafted over the many nights. Not far from the entrance to Essempee, just across the bridge, a watch tower stood along the river’s edge. It had hardly been used in years, seeing as there hadn’t previously been anything in need of observing. It had been abandoned, and it was just what they needed to gain an upper hand.

“If two of you station yourselves in the tower while the other two hide on the ground, I may be able to lure Dream and his men into a trap. We rain arrows from above and strike from the ground. Now, it’s a risky maneuver, but if we manage to get this right we may be able to force Dream into a position of surrender. There are plenty of ways this could go wrong, but a plan without flaws simply doesn’t exist.”

The group nods in agreement, each person deciding where their skills would best be suited. Tommy and Fundy would take the tower, while Tubbo and Eret stayed hidden on the ground. Wilbur would run ahead, get the attention of the men and lead them into the strike zone. Everyone was preparing, both mentally and physically, to take on their enemy. Tensions were high, and Wilbur gave them one final rallying speech.

“This is the day we prove we are stronger than the tyrants that rule over Essempee. Dream has tormented us for far too long. He may batter us, he may destroy our walls. But until the day we stop breathing, the moment we let go of the dream we have of a self-emancipated nation, that is when he has won. Men, are going to let go of that dream?” A chorus of no’s erupt all at once. Wilbur smiles.

“Then L’Manberg cannot fall.”

He gives the order to ready themselves for the trek towards Essempee, keeping Tommy back for a moment. Wilbur’s stomach turned as the nerves rose, not entirely sure if Tommy was ready to take on the responsibility about to be bestowed on him.

“Tommy, when I'm not there to give orders, I want you to take command of our army.” Tommy’s face lit up like Wilbur had never seen before, though he tried to hide the erupting excitement. He put a hand to his forehead to salute to his general.

“Wilbur, I won’t let you down.”

“I know you won’t. Do good, look out for our men. You were born for this Tommy.”

Wilbur truly believed that. Everything Tommy had shown up to that point proved he was ready to take on the role. There was no turning back now.

The five lined at the gates of L’Manberg, ready to march onto the battlefield. Wilbur gave Tommy a knowing look, motioning for him to take the lead. He did, stepping in front with great command, and leading the group onward.

All was quiet amongst them as they took the long route towards the rival country. They knew taking the main road would give them away instantly, but sneaking through the trees and fields could give them just enough cover to move by unnoticed. As the distance to their destination grew smaller, Tommy would hold up a hand to stop them, taking in the area for any danger. Slowly, they inched their way to the bridge, finally coming upon the tower. All signs pointed to the coast being clear.

“Alright, Fundy and I are going to move up, Eret and Tubbo will hide behind the rocks on the opposite side of the road. Wilbur will go ahead. Remember, don’t engage until all of their men are in position. Understood?”

Everyone nodded at the second in command, sneaking out to their positions. Tubbo and Eret were the first ones crouched in wait. Wilbur followed the others, hiding behind the wall of the tower until everyone was ready. He could hear the echoing off the stone steps as they ascended the tower. Wilbur waited to see Tommy’s head peak over the edge of the stone turrets, giving him the all clear. He moved quickly along the backside of tower, through the unkept grass. All was going to plan, and for a moment it seemed as though they would be able to pull off the trap. A fleeting moment.

Tubbo and Wilbur noticed it at the exact same time. Just barely visible through the grass and rocks in the direction of Essempee, a figure crouched with a crossbow in hand. An arrow was carefully loaded into the weapon and aimed at the tower. Wilbur was frozen, but Tubbo wasn’t.

“Tommy get down!” Tubbo screamed, running out from behind his cover. It all happened in the blink of an eye. Tommy’s head disappeared beneath the wall just as an arrow was sent flying past his head. Tubbo felt Eret’s hands around his stomach, pulling him roughly back as another arrow missed him by inches. Wilbur took off in the opposite direction of the enemies, ducking behind the wall of the tower once more. They’d been compromised.

Dream and George continued to fire arrows at the two in the tower as Punz and Sapnap took charge at the men on the ground. No one had seemed to notice Wilbur yet, which may have been just enough of an advantage to survive the attack.

Tubbo was quickly steadied back on his feet by Eret, his deep voice commanding him to draw his weapon. He did, but not fast enough to counter the sword Sapnap was bringing down on him. Eret stepped in front, narrowly blocking the blade with his own.

“Toby! Your left!” Sure enough, Punz was stepping up to take another swing, this time Tubbo was ready. He deflected the incoming hit with his sword, swinging back in retaliation. He glanced behind him just long enough to see Eret in a tightly matched duel with Sapnap. He could hold his own, Tubbo needed to focus on himself now. He knew he wasn’t as skilled a fighter as Punz, but he had to do his best to evade the continuous jabs coming his way. All his energy was channeled into the fight, and he pushed to keep up with the man’s attacks.

From atop the wall Tommy and Fundy did their best to return fire, but the speed and accuracy of the crossbows were too difficult to out match. They couldn’t stand long enough to get a good shot off without risking getting hit.

“Fundy, we won’t be able to get an advantage on them. They’ve got us trapped up here, once we stop firing they’ll rush the tower.” Tommy paused to fire a blind arrow onto the attackers, “I want you to get down and find Wilbur, I’ll distract from up here.”

“No! I won’t leave you,” the man protested. An arrow whizzed above his head, too close for comfort.

“There’s no other option! You go, if we can attack them on the ground we may be able to survive this.” Fundy faltered, not wanting to leave his ally alone. But Tommy was right, if he could assist from the ground maybe they could get out alive.

“Be careful. Please.” Tommy nodded, Fundy fired off one more arrow before sneaking down the steps of the tower.

Wilbur had his sword readied, watching his enemies attack his men. He knew he couldn’t charge at Dream and George, one arrow would be all it took to knock him down. Wilbur cursed himself for not bringing a shield into the fray.

A grunt of desperation drew his attention to Tubbo, seeing the boy struggle to halt Punz’s advances. One sloppy block and the edge of the man’s sword nicked Tubbo’s arm, making him reel back from the sudden pain. Punz was about to take advantage of Tubbo's momentary distraction when Wilbur sprinted towards him. He rammed his shoulder into the enemy just before he could bring down a fatal swing. Punz was sent tumbling to the ground, Wilbur pulled Tubbo behind him.

“Get ready to help Eret!” He called, noticing the intense duel happening a few feet away from them. Eret seemed to be holding his own, but they had strength in numbers. Punz was back on his feet in no time, coming at the President with full force.

From beneath the tower Fundy had just managed to make it to the ground, using the wall to conceal himself. He couldn’t see his friends, but the sounds of metal against metal rang out loud and clear. If Wilbur had joined in with Eret and Tubbo that meant they had the upper hand on that front. Fundy wasn’t ready to leave Tommy to fend off two skilled soldiers on his own. He saw the opportunity in front of him, and knew he only had one shot.

He carefully peaked around the corner, seeing both George and Dream still focused on raining their arrows at the top of the tower. Fundy took a steadying breath, notching an arrow into his bow. He was fast yet precise as he stepped out from behind his cover, firing an arrow straight through a gap between George’s chest plate and into his shoulder. The enemy recoiled in shock, and Dream reacted within a millisecond, returning an arrow in Fundy’s direction. Tommy must have noticed the disruption, and he fired on Dream, the projectile skimming the king’s armor. George pushed through the injury, firing at Tommy again.

Tubbo had his sword readied, but his mind was still reeling. He had to recenter his focus, his friends needed him. He looked to his mentor, noticing his ragged breaths as he lost stamina. Sapnap seemed to only be gaining endurance though. When Eret was on the down swing, Sapnap made one swift kick to his stomach. Eret fell on his back, wind knocked out of him. Tubbo raced forward without needing to think, leaping towards the man. He swung his sword at Sapnap, who barely deflected it. He backed up, still making offensive strikes at Tubbo as he did. The distraction gave Eret just enough time to regain composure, and he was back on his feet and at Tubbo’s side in seconds. Sapnap looked between the two, knowing he couldn’t take them both at once, and started to move back towards George and Dream. The two started to follow, but stopped when they saw George’s bow aimed straight for them. They ducked out of the way of the oncoming arrow, thankfully only having to dodge one shot as George continued to fire on the tower.

Fundy dashed from the position he’d been in, moving to the other side to find Wilbur and Punz locked in a duel.

“Wil!” he called, aiming his bow in Punz’s direction. The enemy saw the threat, and used all the strength he had to shove Wilbur off of him and dash back towards his team. Fundy lowered the bow slightly, still keeping it trained on Punz as he backpedaled away. Wilbur stepped back too, meeting his ally.

“Where’s Tommy?” He questioned.

“In the tower. He gave me cover to escape. We need to get him out, but there’s no way we can fight against their crossbows. If Tommy stops returning fire, they’ll swarm the tower.” Wilbur’s mind raced, eyes still trained on the regrouping foes. All four of them were together now, and Punz had exchanged his sword for a bow, shifting his aim between Wilbur and Fundy, and Eret and Tubbo.

“Fallback!” Wilbur called, and the two others quickly moved to stand with them. They were a good ten feet from the tower and completely out in the open. Neither George or Punz hesitated to aim the projectiles in their direction, opening fire.

“Behind the rocks!” Eret yelled, and they dove for cover. Fundy felt an arrow ricochet off his armor, thankful for the sturdy metal protecting him. Once they were secured, Wilbur pulled his bow out, and him and Fundy returned fire when they could. Their arrow supply was running low though. The soldiers of L’Manberg could do nothing to reach the tower now, not without risking running in the open.

Tommy could see his allies from where he was taking cover, and knew he was cornered. His men wouldn’t be able to get to him, and it was only a matter of time before Dream sent his officers up the tower. If he was going to get out of this alive, he would need to make a move, fast. There was only one way out, and it was perhaps one of the stupidest ideas he’d ever had. It was his only chance though.

On the opposite side of where Dream and his men were, a river ran right against the tower. If he could get enough momentum, get enough push off the tower wall, there was a chance he could survive the twenty foot fall into the water. It was incredibly dangerous, but staying where he was meant certain death. Mustering all the courage he had, he readied himself for the escape.

Tommy fired his last arrow, waiting for a moment to allow Dream to realize he was out of ammunition. Ten seconds passed, and he soon heard shouts from his friends as the enemy started up the steps. Now was the moment. In one swift movement he stood up and ran for the opposite side of the tower, taking two bounding leaps up. With the second, he pushed himself over the edge and into the air. In that instant, the world slowed. Tommy felt his heart drop to his stomach as the dark water approached, his body instinctively straightened out to prepare for the impact. He could hear shouts all around him, but nothing was distinguishable over the thumping of his heart. The wind whipped around him as fast as the anticipation, and soon everything was gone. He hit the water like a brick, skin stinging at the sudden impact. His breath left his lungs in an involuntary jolt. For a moment, he lost all function of his limbs, trying to recover from the shock of landing in the cold water. Luckily the current was slow, and his brain kicked into autopilot. He shoved with his legs and arms, propelling himself to the surface. When he broke out into the air once more, his friends were already across the bridge and at the bank. He paddled blindly to the side, praying no arrows were being fired at them. Through blurred vision he could see the outlines of people, seconds later two sets of hands pulled him onto land. He coughed out water, trying to regain composure in case Dream was planning on making another attack. But their rivals were still from across the water, weapons lowered as they watched L’Manberg retreat.

Wilbur stood at the foot of the bridge, looking to Dream with a heavy stare. The two leaders locked eyes, as though they were communicating without words. Both had come to the unspoken agreement of retreat.

“Two days from now. Dawn. We face off again outside Essempee.” Dream’s voice carried loud and commanding, a final message before the four turned to fallback into their city. With Tommy alive but shaken, Wilbur led his men back as well. They’d shown they weren’t to be underestimated. The had proven themselves a worthy opponent. Everyone had come out alive and mostly unscathed. It was a miracle no one was seriously injured, Tommy especially. He recovered quickly from his plunge, already taking on the excitement of their triumph.

Though the outcome of the battle gained no advantage for either side, the five revolutionaries counted it as a win, and they marched to L’Manberg with the song of freedom ringing in their minds.


	11. The Room Where it Happened

It wasn’t until the five rebels made it safely within their walls that they realized how lucky they were to be alive. The fight should have resulted in serious injuries, if not a death. The fact that the only wounds they had to show were Tubbo’s arm laceration and the bruises on Tommy from hitting the water was a miracle. A part of it had been their skill, but they couldn’t deny that luck was on their side.

After Wilbur and the others spent time to debrief and plan ahead, the men were free to spend the rest of the night recuperating. Everyone went their separate ways, Fundy back to his tavern for a drink, Tommy off to lay down and sleep the evening away, and Wilbur went straight to find Niki. Eret went back to his shop, not to work, but to absorb the comfort the familiar surroundings gave off. He lit a small fire in the furnace, letting the orange glow bathe the space. He pulled out the bottle of wine he kept stashed on his top shelf and poured himself a glass. It was a treat, the last bottle he’d saved from the original Essempee. Now seemed as good a time as any to finally crack it open. Eret sunk into the silence, letting himself lose grip on reality.

A quiet knock sounded at his front door, stirring him ever so slightly. He called in visitor, not entirely surprised to see Tubbo slip inside. Eret gave him a smile.

“How are you doing?” He asked the boy, patting the chair next to him. Tubbo moved into the space, but didn’t sit.

“Alright. A little shaken if I’m being honest,” He replied earnestly.

“That’s understandable. How’s your arm?” Tubbo held up the bandaged cut with a shrug.

“Fine. Wilbur said it’ll heal fast, it’s not too deep.” There was a beat, Eret could see Tubbo fidgeting. “I came here to say thank you.. for saving my life.”

The gratitude was warm as it ran through Eret, and he couldn’t help but smile. “You’re welcome Tubbo. I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again. I’m just glad I was there.”

“It’s just.. I should have been smarter.. more prepared. Just a second of hesitation was all it took for them to get on top of me. I could have gotten you killed as well –”

“Stop. Look at me,” Eret’s stood to meet the boy, placing a hand on his arm, “You did brilliantly. This is the first time you’ve ever had to fight against anyone, of course you’ll make mistakes. What we’ve gotten into, this war, it’s nothing like you’ve had to endure before. It’s real and brutal, but you’re rising to the occasion. You held your own against Dream and his men. They’re skilled fighters, and I was impressed at how quickly you were able to grow your abilities with a sword.”

Tubbo nodded, eyes glassy. He trusted Eret’s words, he knew where his mentor had come from. Before society fell Eret trained to be a soldier for the old Essempee. He'd battled before, he’d seen the carnage that could take place, and he was only fourteen at that time. That exposure to brutality was exactly why he stood by Wilbur when they’d moved to the outskirts to escape the rebellion. The violence he had grown up with was one he despised. He never raised his sword unless he had to, never struck down another man unless his own life was on the line. Hearing the words of praise held another level of weight for the apprentice.

“I promise I won’t let you down Eret,” Tubbo stood as confident as he could. Eret nodded, putting a hand on the boy's back to lead him to the chair.

“Have you ever had wine?” He asked, fetching another cup and filling it with a small amount of the deep red liquid. Tubbo shook his head. “Here. Drink with me.”

Tubbo cautiously took the glass, not wanting to turn down the offer. The smell alone turned him off, but he figured he may as well try it. Maybe he’d like it after all.

Eret raised his glass, Tubbo followed. “To L’Manberg, may it continue to be lead by passionate, hardworking apprentices.”

Tubbo grinned, copying Eret as he took a large drink. As soon as the wine hit his tongue he shuddered, pushing past the flavor and swallowing. He felt the burning liquid travel down, not able to contain the cough that followed. Eret chuckled, taking another sip.

“Is that supposed to taste good?” He commented, still grimacing from the lingering alcohol on his tongue. Eret just laughed again.

“You’ll come around to like it.”

“I really don’t think I will.” This time it was Tubbo’s turn to laugh.

The two chatted for a bit longer, but Tubbo eventually left him on his own again. While Eret was glad to have a friend next to him, he also liked the silence of his own company. Eret finished off both his own wine and the wine that Tubbo had left behind. Another thirty minutes to himself was satisfactory. He corked the wine, stashing it away once more, and began getting his things together to leave for home. The day was ending and he’d need a good nights rest. His back was turned to the door when he heard it creak open.

“Change your mind about the wine already?” Eret joked, expecting to see Tubbo when he spun around. When he turned and came face to face with Dream, his heart stopped.

“Don’t reach for a weapon. I’ve come here to talk.”

Eret was glued to the floor, not knowing what to do. He didn’t think he could trust Dream, but his sword wasn’t at his side. He could try and grab an impromptu weapon, but he was sure he wouldn’t be able to outmatch Dream. Eret was at the kings mercy.

“How did you get in here?” He questioned with a scowl.

“I have my ways. I’m alone, by the way.” Eret didn’t believe him.

“What do you want?”

Dream stepped further into the space, Eret took up a defensive stance. The king paid no attention to him, and sank into the seat Tubbo had been in less than an hour ago.

“I want to strike a deal with you Eret.” He gave Dream a confused look, shaking his head.

“I have no desire to collude with you.”

“Keep an open mind, I might just change it.” Eret felt himself inadvertently settle a bit, perhaps because of the calm demeanor of the man in front of him. “Sit down Eret.”

He didn’t want to follow his commands, but he wasn’t exactly in a position to argue. So he cautiously sat as well, waiting for Dream to continue.

“Let’s not waste time here. I need you on my side, Eret, and I’ll tell you why you’ll agree. You don’t want to fight this war. If you had the ability to end this conflict with a press of a button, you’d take it. Wilbur says he doesn’t want violence either, but he’s not very tied to that sentiment. After all, he was the one who tried to launch a surprise attack on us this morning.”

“He was only responding to the violence _you_ wrought on us,” Eret spat back.

“But wouldn’t you rather no one act against each other at all?” Dream inquired.

“You’re the person who can end the bloodshed. We’ve made it clear that we won’t act against you unless the sword is brought down on us first. We are simply defending our land.”

Dream scoffed at Eret’s words. “ _Your land._ Did you forget that you and the rest of L’Manberg have walled off a piece of _Essempee_. The outskirts never belonged to you, this whole ‘country’ is still under my rule. I’m simply defending it from a group of rebels attempting to take what I’ve worked so hard to build.”

Eret took in those words, seeing Dream’s side for the first time. Technically, it was his land, but they were still justified in their actions. Dream had been their oppressor, they just wanted to give themselves a better life. Dream spoke again, his voice softer than before.

“I’ve always been painted as the villain. I’m the tyrant, the dictator. People fail to realize that what I do is for the better of the people I lead. I don’t want this war, but I can’t just step aside and let my citizens openly rebel. This nation needs order. It needs a strong leader to keep it from falling apart.” Everything Dream was saying made sense, but Eret still remained unmoved.

“What does this have to do with me?” Eret’s voice was low and serious. Dream sighed, shifting in a rare moment of vulnerability.

“I can’t surrender my land to Wilbur. I can’t let L’Manberg win and break off from Essempee. Once I give into your revolution, it's only a matter of time before another group rises up to challenge me. I had to make an example out of the first rebellion, make people understand the consequences of treason. This movement has to be put down, but it doesn’t need to end in bloodshed. If we continue the way we’ve been going there will be losses on both sides, that’s inevitable. The only way to end this peacefully is if we can catch L’Manberg off guard and get them into a position that forces them to surrender. I want you to help me achieve that Eret.”

He stared on, dumbfounded. Did Dream really think he would agree to go behind the backs of his friends?

“You’re asking me to betray the people I love.”

“I’m asking you to save them.” Eret stared at him, caught off guard by the response.

“You’re a smart man Eret, so I’ll be straight forward with you. I won’t surrender. Me and my men will throw everything we have at L’Manberg. I have full confidence that you won’t be able to defeat us, no matter how much of a fight you put up. Even though you outnumber us, we still have the advantage on you in every way. And I meant what I said, I’ll do whatever it takes to put down this revolution. The problem is, Wilbur and Tommy won't surrender either. They’ve sunk everything into this, they won’t give up. People are going to die. This war will continue to go on until there’s no one left to fight it. No matter how long this drags out, be it a day, a week, a year, it can only end with L’Manberg falling. It’s up to you to decide how many people will get hurt along the way.”

Eret’s heart was torn in two. The last thing he wanted was to betray his friends. But Dream was right, and Eret hated it. What he hated more, though, was the fact that he was actually starting to consider taking the agreement.

“Why me?” Eret asked, not making eye contact.

“Because I know you’d listen to reason, and I know you’ll do what you have to for the greater good.” The words sunk in and stayed heavy in his heart. He thought about the others, wondering if they would be able to see Dream’s point of view. Tommy surely wouldn’t, in fact, he would have attacked Dream the moment he laid eyes on him. Wilbur had tunnel vision when it came to the revolution, Fundy just wanted to support the actions of his friends, and Tubbo was too loyal to Tommy and the others. He may be the only one who could see past the exhilaration of the movement, and realize the irreversible damage that could be done. Dream could see the wheels turning in Eret’s mind, and he knew he had him. All he needed was to finish out the deal.

“Look, I know that by doing this you’d be in an.. unfavorable position here. If you agree, and we successfully put down this revolution, I’ll give you safety in Essempee. You’ll have a nice home, a new blacksmith shop, I’ll even make you my sole provider for metal works. I know living conditions here aren’t great, you’d have more status and wealth than you’d know what to do with.” The addition to the deal didn’t give him any extra incentive to betray his friends, it almost did the opposite. The thought of losing all ties to L’Manberg was almost too much to bear.

It was all happening so fast, his mind was clawing itself to pieces trying to reach a conclusion. He was faced with a dilemma he never imagined having to grapple with. Either he stood by his friends and fought, knowing that they could die in the intense conflict, or turned against them and forced a surrender in order to spare them from the bloodshed. If he betrayed them he would lose the bonds that had taken years to grow, he would throw away the world he knew. Neither option was a win-win situation, but Dream was right. He had to look out for the greater good, and keeping his friends alive was the most important thing to Eret. He was willing to throw away his own happiness to save the people he loved.

“If I agree to this, you’ll spare their lives?” Eret clarified, Dream nodded,

“We’ll only do what we have to do to defend ourselves. You have my word.” Eret placed his elbows on his knees, head in hands. He didn’t want to do this. He wanted to run and take his friends and never look back. But they were here and now, and his world was at war. A war that would destroy them, unless he did something to stop it. He had to do this.

“So, do we have a deal?” Dream’s voice broke through his thoughts, as the king extended a hand. This was it, the point of no return. His heart tried to stop him from moving but his body acted against it. Eret looked up, a long sigh left his lungs, and he slowly took his enemies hand in his. A single shake sealed L’Manberg’s fate.

“Glad we could reach an agreement,” Dream smiled widely, leaning back in the wooden chair. Eret couldn’t look at him. He felt sick.

“What now?” He asked in a poisonous tone. Dream glanced around, making sure the windows wouldn’t allow him to be seen before standing up and removing papers from his pack.

“We’ve got some strategizing to do. I have a plan, you just need to tell me the best way to carry it out.”

The sky was pitch black when Dream finally left. The emptiness inside the blacksmith matched the emptiness in Eret’s heart. He felt violated, despite the fact that he’d been the one who plotted how to destroy L’Manberg. Though he knew it wasn’t true, Eret tried to tell himself that he didn’t have a choice in the matter, that he couldn’t have turned down Dream. A part of him wondered what would have happened if he refused. Would he have killed him right then and there? That outcome sounded better to Eret than the one he had chosen now. Yet in the back of his mind, he knew that Dream was fully aware that Eret would agree; the king knew how the cards would fall as soon as he stepped foot in L’Manberg that night. That bastard.

Eret looked around his shop, realizing this would be one of his last nights in the country he loved. In two days-time he would undoubtedly be thrown out. He could already see the hurt on their faces, he could hear them screaming _‘Traitor! Traitor!’_. His heart ached. But he knew he was doing it to save them. It was worth it to keep them alive.

As he gathered his things, making sure to stow away the plans Dream had left, he cried. Eret was never the kind to let his emotions control him, but tonight was different. He mourned the loss of his nation, his friends.

He wanted the best for them. He wanted Wilbur to remain a strong leader, despite losing the war he hoped that he could keep the people’s hopes alive. He wanted Tommy to grow into a strong and level-headed man, to keep striving towards his potential. He wanted Fundy to keep his kind heart, and continue to pour out support over the community. He wanted Niki to hold her head high and be the light in the darkness when everything else seemed to fade. And Tubbo.. he wanted Tubbo to take his place. He wanted him to take over the blacksmith, to use the skills he’d taught him and provide for the people. It all had to be worth it in the end. No matter what he had to sacrifice, it would be for the best. That’s all he could tell himself as he said a preemptive goodbye to L’Manberg.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know these chapters are getting shorter, but I decided it would be better to break the segments up into chunks to focus on contents, rather than throw them all into one long chapter.


	12. History Has its Eyes on You

Throughout L’Manberg an air of uncertainty hung over the heads of the citizens and the warriors. No one was sure of what they should do to prepare for the fight ahead, if there even was anything they could do. One day wasn’t enough to make better weapons or fortify their walls. Even if they could, they wouldn’t be able to out-match Essempee’s arsenal. The first battle had proven that Dream was one step ahead of them, it would be near impossible to pull one over on him. If Wilbur was going to win this, it would need to take a miracle.

Normally the President was up and moving about L’Manberg the moment the rooster crowed, but today he remained hidden away in his home for the better part of the morning. Tommy had instinctively taken over the tasks Wilbur had laid out the evening prior, deciding not to interrupt whatever he was doing in his solo time. He knew Wilbur needed a moment to breathe, he’d been non-stop since they’d signed the declaration.

From within the confines of Wilbur’s bedroom he sat, not doing anything but thinking. This wasn’t out of character for him, most of his waking minutes were spent thinking, for better or worse. It wasn’t clear which category this train of thought fell into.

Wilbur’s glasses sat loosely on the bridge of his nose, catching the glare streaming through his cracked blinds. He stood slowly, walking to them and pulling them open enough to gaze onto the city. The road was practically empty. Usually there would be plenty of people moving about and doing their daily tasks but now it was devoid of movement. The nation was empty, lifeless. A vision briefly flashed across Wilbur’s mind of a battered and defeated city, it’s inhabitants dead or driven out from terror. He saw the aftermath of his revolution, the brutality that would befall them when he lost the war. All his fault.

Panic coursed through Wilbur and he began to hyperventilate, pushing his hands through tangled curls. He had doomed the Outskirts the moment he’d laid a pen to paper. How could he have been so foolish to think he could actually win against an all-powerful tyrant? The man rushed to grab himself a cup of water, downing it in one go and wiping away the dribbles with his navy blue sleeve.

 _"Your people need you,”_ he told himself, arms shaking as his hands gripped the edge of his table. _‘You have to do this. You have to save them from the mess you’ve made.’_

Relief from the anxiety came on slow. The fear of failure and ignorance lingered. All this time he’d been so deep in his own ideals of revolution and freedom that he’d failed to look up at the wake he’d left through L’Manberg. All this time spent strategizing and imaging a world of their own was blinding. It made him feel like he wasn’t worthy of leading, if he couldn’t stop to remember the people he fought for why was he fighting at all. How could this be worth it if the people he pushed into the rebellion was caught in the crossfire?

That’s when he finally came out the other side of the darkening tunnel. A brief moment of light and he knew what had to be done. He’d been saying it for weeks: L’Manberg wasn’t the place, it wasn’t the buildings or the land or the wall. It was the souls inside it. As long as those people were still standing L’Manberg couldn’t fall. So Wilbur decided he needed to make it impossible to reach them.

Wilbur sprinted all the way to Niki’s home, not stopping until he let himself inside the cottage. She was shocked to see the disheveled man breathing heavily in her doorway, worried something had happened. But as she neared, she saw the resolution in his eyes and knew he was there on a mission.

“I need you Niki.” The words made her heart leap.

“Anything Wil.” The man took a few steps in, stopping himself as he closed the gap between them. She was the most important thing he had, that was the prevailing thought that filled his mind. If he couldn’t have her by his side he would falter. It may not have been smart to hinge his entire being around one person, but Wil had done that exact thing with Niki. Where he fell she was there to push him up. She instilled in him every characteristic he needed to lead. Truly, she was his other half. Never had another person made Wilbur feel so complete. He trusted her with his life, which is exactly why he knew he could trust her with the lives of L’Manberg.

“I need you to lead our people to safety,” he told her, studying her face for a reaction. She didn’t give much, only a slightly scrunched brow and a look that asked him to keep going. “L’Manberg isn’t safe here. Not yet. I don’t trust Dream not to act against our citizens, he’ll do whatever it takes to win. I won’t let him have that chance.”

“Are you saying..”

“We need to evacuate the city. We need to venture outside Essempee’s walls.”

Niki stared on in disbelief, stuttering to find the words to answer. The world beyond was incredibly dangerous. Mutants roamed free, marauders were waiting to take advantage of the weak, you couldn’t let your guard down for a minute without risking your life.

“But— Wil that’s – we wouldn’t make it beyond the forest, let alone survive out there until this conflict is over,” She protested, fear of the outside rising within. She, as well as most others, hadn’t gone outside the walls in years.

“I know it seems impossible, but you need to trust me. I’ve gone out there before to gather supplies, it’s gotten safer as the years have gone on,” he countered, trying to assure her, “I’m able to defend myself alone, I’ve only come back with one minor injury.”

“Where would we go? We have at least fifty people here, we can’t just plop down in the woods somewhere.” Wil started to answer, but stopped to glance at the door. He ushered Niki further into the house, past her kitchen into the bedroom. She gave him a puzzled look as he closed the door and made sure the blinds were drawn.

“I know it’s silly to be so precautious but.. I can’t risk anyone knowing.” Wilbur fidgeted, hand resting on his belt where his sword sat. “There’s a place, not too far from here. It’s well hidden, nestled in a narrow canyon. Back when Dream first came into power, he gathered a group of people for a special task. Eret and I were among the selected, along with a few other men who are still in Essempee. Dream was one step ahead at all times, he knew we’d need a backup plan in case things took a turn for the worst. So he instructed us to build a secondary shelter in case we had to flee Essempee.”

Niki listened intently, taking in the new information. Wilbur continued.

“It’s not much, we used what we could gather from the area, which was mainly stones and some wood. There are three structures, one that holds some food reserves and two for housing. It may be just enough space to hold all our people within it. It’s not a permanent residence, the land isn’t good for farming, there aren’t many trees nearby, and it doesn’t have the safety of Essempee’s walls to keep out the monsters. For a temporary sanctuary though, it’ll be perfect.”

“So.. you trust me to lead the people until this is over?” Niki felt unqualified for the task. She gave him an uncertain look, head spinning with the daunting task.

“Of course I do. If there’s anyone in all of L’Manberg who could do this, it’s you.” Wilbur cupped the side of her face gently. She leaned into the touch, but still was stiff with hesitation.

“Are you sure this is the best idea?” He paused, convincing himself he knew the answer before replying.

“If I keep these people here they could be killed over a revolution I started. We have strong citizens within our walls. We have the weapons they need to defend themselves and the spirit to get through this turmoil. All they need is someone to guide them with a loving and reassuring hand. You’ve been doing that for years, being in a new place won’t change that.” Niki sighed out a breath she didn’t know she was holding, nodding ever so slightly. Wilbur gave a loving glance down to the girl, reaching into his coat pocket to grasp the item within. It had been on his person as long as he could remember, all the way back to when he first left his old life to start Essempee nine years ago. Without a word, he lifted Niki’s hand and placed the object in her grasp, closing her fingers around it. She pulled it back to her, opening her hand to find Wilbur’s small pocket watch. She flipped open the latch of the tarnished gold exterior, revealing the surprisingly white face of the clock. Her heart beat in rhythm with the ticking second hand.

“Wil..”

“Take it with you. I’ll need it back when this is over, but l trust you to keep it safe in the meantime.” She smiled at the ground, turning to her dresser and pulling a thin metal chain from an ornate box. She threaded it through the top of the watch, placing it to her neck and spinning around with her back to Wilbur. He moved to grab the clasps of the necklace, gently connecting them and pulling her hair out from behind the chain. It fell in soft waves down her back. She shifted the clock against her chest to keep it rested comfortable above the neckline of her dress. The feeling of metal in her hands acted as a proxy for the feeling of Wil’s presence.

“As soon as it’s safe, I will be there to bring you home. Keep track of the days. If in a week we haven’t made progress I’ll come to you and we can plan what our next step will be,” Wilbur promised. Niki didn’t turn to look at him yet, heart hurting to know that she wouldn’t be there to help when her friends fought against Dream. She wanted to be waiting at the gates of L’Manberg to heal the wounds, both physical and emotional, that her boys would inevitably come home with at the end of the day. But she understood that the citizens needed her more than the soldiers, and that was where her heart was needed right now.

“I’ll do everything I can to protect L’Manberg. I know you can do this Wil, just be safe. We can win this, but I don’t want to sacrifice your lives for our freedom. You’re L’Manberg too, we need you alive,” Niki told him, finally turning to him with watering eyes. She held back her emotions though, remaining strong.

“When you lead our people back at the end of this, you’ll come home to all five of us standing with open arms. But we’ve still got a long fight ahead of us." Niki nodded, taking a steadying breath as Wilbur extended a hand to her. "Come on, today won’t last forever, we need to take advantage of our last few hours of security.”

Tubbo hadn’t meant to stumble across Tommy sitting on the lonesome bench that afternoon. It was coincidence he was there to begin with, Tubbo had simply gone out on a walk to try and calm his nerves, and that was the first place he though to go. The area was almost surrounded by trees, up on a slight hill near in the far east corner of L’Manberg. The only landmark was a construction of logs and planks to sit on, but from it you could see past the walls and out across the landscape of Essempee. The view was breathtakingly serene. That was perhaps why Tubbo wasn’t necessarily surprised when he saw Tommy already there.

“Hey.” The voice spooked the blonde and he jolted where he sat. Once he realized it was only Tubbo though, he scooted over and made room for his acquaintance.

“Hey.” They sat for a moment, just enjoying the scenery and the unspoken friendship. Tommy was hunched forward, elbows on his knees and head in his hands as he sat in silence. Rarely was the teenager so pensive, it was almost scary to Tubbo seeing him lost in thought like this. Tommy always had something to say, some quick-witted quip or half-thought comment. Perhaps the reason why he wasn’t talking was because he didn’t want to say what was currently on his mind. Tubbo spoke for him.

“Tommy.. I’m scared.”

The sentiment lingered, the two now facing the truth. This war was beyond them, they were never prepared to fight. They’d both experienced so much trauma in their short life span, the last thing they needed was to face the prospect of a death of a soldier. Tommy let out a sigh that almost revealed how close he was to tears.

“I’m scared as well, but we aren’t going to fall.” It may not have been the truth, but he couldn’t afford to think any other way. He had to trust Wilbur and Fundy and Eret. They were older, had more experience. Tommy may have been second in command, but he still had so much to learn.

“You know, I think I rather like this spot.” Tubbo’s tone had taken a sudden shift, turning soft and light. “When we get back home tomorrow, I say we come here and watch the sunset.”

Tommy couldn’t help but smile. “You think by tomorrow night we’ll be a free nation?”

Tubbo paused, tilting his head with an innocent exhale. “I don’t know. Even if we aren’t, we can still watch a sunset, don’t you think?”

“Of course. We can watch the sunset whenever you like.”

It only took a matter of minutes for Wilbur to get the word out about his plan for evacuation. Just like that the nation of L’Manberg had awoken once again, everyone rushing to pack away the essentials they would need for the trek. There was a unanimous feeling of unease; despite the fact that they were leaving for somewhere supposedly safer, no one had been able to release the tensions of the war. Their lives were at risk no matter where they went, and now they were losing the familiarity of home, even one under fire. Wilbur wasn’t blind to this, he saw the fading hope of his people. He was terrified of losing it all together, leaving behind a broken and defeated nation with nothing to show for the efforts they’d endured. He sent himself and Niki to speak with each person, each family. They personally gave words of encouragement and support to them, explaining the reasoning for leaving, the plans ahead, and their optimism for the future. Niki and Wil made sure they felt security, and did whatever they could to provide it. All they could do was offer their words and vows of fulfilling an independent L’Manberg, but that was enough for most. They’d gone so long with nothing under Dream’s rule, not even a whisper of hope. Now, even is the middle of war, they clung to those promises as through their lives depended on it.

The others were hard at work packing away whatever could be carried on people’s backs. They couldn’t bring their horses, there was no place to keep them at the fort and they wouldn’t be able to make it over the wall anyway. Everything that was taken had to be stowed in backpacks and rucksacks, which limited the amount of supplies they could bring. Wilbur knew there was likely enough food to last them a week’s time, so he encouraged them to pack blankets, spare clothes, and canteens of water. Bodies moved about the town with determination as everyone – from the oldest nearing their thirties, to the youngest infants still needing carried on their mother’s backs – raced against the day to set off before sundown.

In a matter of hours people began gathering at the forest’s edge, ready to make their way over the wall and into the unknown beyond. Wilbur had given Niki a map that laid out how to get to the hidden fort, as well as a compass to guide them. It wouldn’t be too difficult a journey in terms of terrain, it was a straight shot west from Essempee, most of the path followed the river that ran through the country and continued on. They should be able to reach the destination before night fell, which would help reduce the amount of mutants they would come across. Fundy and Eret had moved ahead, setting up the ladder and helping people climb over, leaving Tubbo and Tommy behind with Niki and Wilbur. The four hadn’t ventured into the trees yet, still able to see their country as the people left it behind

“Stay close together as you move, keep the women and children on the inside of the group so those with weapons can fend off monsters. When you get to the fort, light as many torches as you can. You’ll need to ration the food, but there should be enough to go around. If anything happens, send a group back to inform me. No one should be alone.” Wilbur rambled on his instructions as Niki nodded along to each one. From a short distance away Tommy could see the anxiety in his President’s face as he prepared to send off the group. He gave a nod to Tubbo, motioning to give the two the chance to say goodbye, and they took off to join the others.

“I’ll be okay Wilbur. It’s you I’m worried about.” She didn’t need to say more, she wasn’t sure if she had the capacity to. Wilbur just nodded, understanding.

“I’ll see you soon Niki. I promise.”

“I’ll see you soon Wilbur.”

The air between them was heavy. Neither wanted to be the first to turn away. As much as they wanted to believe that things would be okay, they knew there was no guarantee. Tomorrow could be the end of L’Manberg, or worse yet, the end of one of their lives. Not knowing if this would be the last time either saw each other was agony. The pain of separation was all they could feel as they tried to say goodbye.

Niki was the one to finally break away. The longer she stood there the harder it would be to go. She had to get out, leave now before she would be incapable of forcing herself to part from the man she loved. 

The moment Wilbur’s eyes left hers he was overcome, his heart acting faster than he could catch up to his own actions. He lunged forward, grabbing her arm and spinning her back to meet him. With one hand wrapped around her wrist, he brought the other to her waist, pulling her closer and leaning in to meet her lips. Niki stopped breathing, taking only a second to push even harder into the kiss. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, fingers laced in his hair. Wilbur’s hands instinctively moved to keep her in a tight embrace. He didn’t want to let her go.

But he had to, and it seemed all too soon when she pulled away from him. Neither said anything, Wilbur just gave the faintest nod as he let his hands fall back to his side. She gave him the best smile she could manage, just a small tilt of her lips, before turning and disappearing into the trees. 


	13. To Remind You of My Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just published a work that I'm using for behind the scenes stuff and one shots related to this story's universe. If you're interested, it lays out a timeline and has a map for better reference. It's called [Their Stories Told](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27036019) if you wanted to check it out.

Sapnap hadn’t felt so low in years. Sadness washed over him in an unstoppable tide and he just wanted it to go away. He hated it. He wanted to be strong and confident and powerful. By all accounts he should be celebrating. They’d stopped L’Manberg’s surprise attack, they had turned Eret into a traitor, and the next morning they would finally put an end to the revolution. But it felt empty. Without being next to Dream, without having the power to command, Sapnap felt like nothing more than an expendable foot soldier.

His destiny was to lead. Sapnap knew there were great things in his future. But over the past few weeks Dream had slowly taken away the authority and responsibilities he’d earned over the past nine years. It felt like he was being demoted; he no longer had control over his rise to the top. For years he had been able to climb through the ranks at Dream’s side, but now his closest companion was pushing him aside. His self-worth was rooted in his best friend and in the nation he helped build. It was all he had, and it was slowly slipping through his fingers.

He wanted his position back, but more than that, he wanted his best friend back. Why had Dream cast him aside? He’d done everything to show him love and support. Yet he felt second tier. Recently Dream had been meeting with his officers less and less. That was uncharacteristic, especially now. When there was a conflict that needed to be resolved they spent countless hours together. Strategizing was always a group effort, that’s just how they operated. On a normal evening Sapnap would be at Dream’s manor by this time, regardless if it was to talk about Essempee or just to be in each other’s company. Sapnap hated being alone, and he couldn’t take it anymore. He decided he didn’t need an invitation. All he wanted was to be with his friend.

Just walking the path to Dream’s home was enough to shake the depressive state he had been slipping into. A renewed anticipation pushed away the negative thoughts, and as he made his way through the cool summer air he came to a realization. He’d never told Dream or George how unimportant he felt, and maybe that was exactly the problem. His inclination had been to try and overcome the feeling of emptiness with actions, despite the fact that both other men used their words to work through an internal issue. He hadn’t been speaking a language his friends could interpret, so it made sense why they didn’t realize Sapnap’s state of mind. It wasn’t his strong suit, but he knew it was time to be upfront about his feelings. The negativity that consumed him was eating away at his spirit, and he was fed up with being in that depressive head space. The longer he was stuck there the harsher his feelings towards George became; envy and loathing were trying to overtake the love for his close friend. He wouldn’t let that happen. He wasn’t going to let this ruin him, and wouldn’t let these emotions cause him to lose his best friends. Nothing was irreversible, they could resolve this. Perhaps the three could meet together after Sapnap spoke one on one with Dream, they could work out a future that gave them an equal hand in leading Essempee.

Sapnap hadn’t even thought to consider that George would already be there when he arrived.

When Sapnap stepped into the home and heard the low voices emanating from Dream’s study, his heart sank. He immediately recognized the lull of George’s accent. Memories of standing outside the balcony ran through his mind. There he was again, trapped outside a closed door that alienated him from his allies and his country. Apparently they’d made their choice. There was no settlement to be reached, that notion fell from his mind in the blink of an eye. Dream had already made his choice, and he chose George. Sapnap wasn’t going to let that stand.

In an instant, the calm that had settled was ripped away and replaced with rage. He didn’t think. There was no room for his mind to reach a peace with the betrayal he felt, there was only fury. George was taking away his best friend, Sapnap’s mind came to that conclusion all too easily. Anger was what made him reach for the knife at his side. He wasn’t himself. Sapnap had fallen, a broken, reckless, unhinged man in his place.

He stormed into the room, door hitting the wall from the force he used to shove it open. The two started slightly. Dream gave him a concerned smile, immediately seeing the outrage on his face. Neither had noticed the blade gripped between his whitening knuckles.

“Hey Sap, we were just talking ab-”

“You son of a bitch.” Sapnap’s voice was unsteady as he boomed over Dream, knife now extended in front of him as he made his way towards George. The boy was completely caught off guard, scrambling out of his chair to back away from the approaching threat.

“Woah! What are you -”

“I’m sick and tired of this shit!” Sapnap growled, George looked on in utter confusion and horror. Dream was frozen. “I won’t let you come in here and ruin everything I’ve spent so long building. Who do you think you are George?!”

“What are you talking about? Are you fucking drunk or something?” George shot back, now all the way against the bookshelf. Sapnap advanced towards him in a staggering motion, knife an inch from the boy's throat. George recoiled, back digging into the edge of the shelves. Dream finally moved now, taking a panicked step out from behind his desk.

“Ever since this war started you and Dream have been edging me out. You think I wouldn’t notice? You think I’m an idiot? I know what Dream told you, how he promised you the crown. It’s bullshit. I’m the one who deserves to be his right hand man, not you!”

George scoffed, seemingly forgetting about the blade as he leaned in ever so slightly. An adrenaline backed defensiveness briefly overtook the fear he felt. “Do you realize how much responsibility it is to lead? Dream has to put Essempee in the hands of someone who will better the country, not drive it into the ground. You’re impulsive and reckless, you’re not built to govern people. You would never be able to handle that kind of power.”

“You don’t know what I’m capable of! I’ve been Dream’s closest friend way before you came into the picture. I’ve been preparing for this my whole life. You won’t be the one on the throne, I can promise you that!” Sapnap’s voice rose with his anger, not even realizing he’d pressed the blade against George’s neck. George felt the cool metal break skin, a slight stinging, and beads of blood gathered on the edge.

“So, what, are you going to kill me?” Dream slowly moved towards the two as George egged on his friend, “Go on then, kill me. Is that what you want?”

Those words broke through Sapnap’s manic state, and almost instantly tears welled in his eyes as he stared into George’s gaze. He saw the fear George tried to mask with his pseudo-confidence, beneath it all was a boy who was lost and scared. Sapnap recognized the emotion, somehow it had engraved itself in his brain: complete hopelessness. His mind cleared for a moment, and he finally realized what he was doing. He was one swift movement away from killing his friend.

Sapnap’s hand fell just as Dream had placed a cautious touch to his forearm. The man trembled, dropping the knife slowly to the ground. He stepped back, Dream following and placing a hand on either side of him.

“I’m.. I..” He didn’t know what to say. George stared at him, now sharing a similar look to Sapnap. Both felt the weight of the situation come down hard on them, Dream had to be the one to bring them back.

“Nick, can we talk?” He inhaled sharply at his real name, one he hadn’t heard in years. George could barely manage to take back control of his body, but eventually stumbled towards the door. He brought a hand to his neck, smearing red across the skin. Sapnap couldn’t watch. Dream gave George a nod, a vague notion to tell him he’d be there to check on him soon. The brunette disappeared from the room. Silence fell over them, save for the heavy breaths Sapnap took as he began to let out soft sobs.

“I’m so sorry..” He whispered. Dream pulled him into an embrace, wrapping his arms around his back. He felt his friend shudder underneath him.

“Please talk to me,” Dream whispered. Sapnap hesitated, slowly pulling back and wiping away the tears with a rough swipe of his face.

“I just don’t want to lose you,” he replied simply.

“Why do you think you’re losing me? I’ve been right here next to you all this time.”

“You’re pushing me aside, Dream. You’ve given George all kinds of responsibilities, and you’ve been taking things away from me. It’s like you don’t trust me anymore. No matter what I do to prove myself I’m never good enough. All I’ve seen is you getting closer and closer to George and when I came and saw you guys meeting without me again I just.. snapped.”

Dream listened intently, nodding along as he spoke. What he was saying was true in a way. He had been giving George more leadership while also tightening the reins on Sapnap. Pieces started to fall into place though, and Dream realized that everything – the forest fire, the aggression against L’Manberg – it was all Sapnap’s attempt to prove himself. Dream felt guilt rise in him, not realizing how his actions were affecting his friend. He should have been up front with Sapnap instead of hoping the issue would magically disappear on its own. He never meant to make Sapnap feel like George was more important to him.

“I’m sorry. You’re right, I haven’t handled this situation the best I could have. You’ve never been less than George, that’s not even possible. You have no idea how important you are to me. You’re my oldest friend, you’ve been by my side for the best and worst. I can’t imagine losing you.”

“Then why are you picking him over me?” Dream took a deep breath, trying to formulate his thoughts in an honest but comforting way.

“I’m not picking anyone over you. This isn’t about favorites. I have to act in the best interests of Essempee, and right now you’re not ready for that. That has no correlation to how close we are. I love you, nothing could ever change that. But I can’t let my friendship with you influence the choices I make as king.” Sapnap nodded, but the words didn’t make him feel any better. Dream was telling him he wasn’t good enough to lead Essempee, and that hurt. He didn’t respond to the explanation, so Dream tried to further his reasoning.

“Sap, it’s not that I don’t trust you, because I do. I’d trust you with my life, if there was anyone in Essempee who I’d want by my side in battle it’s you. You’re strong, you’re smart, you’re skilled, you’ve got so many traits that are pivotal for being a general. But leading an army and leading a nation aren’t the same thing. Trust me, you can’t rely on power alone to govern. It takes a whole separate skill set to hold the peace, it takes a certain level-headedness and rationale to keep Essempee moving forward. I’ll admit that I haven’t quite found that balance yet, which is why I’ve been relying on George recently. He gives me perspectives that I might not have thought of. You and I are similar, we both have inclinations towards acting aggressively to achieve our goals. That’s why I’ve been consulting with George more often.”

Sapnap nodded again, this time things seemed to sink in. Dream wasn’t wrong, his diplomatic skill set wasn’t as strong as it could have been. His reasoning made sense, and it did help settle the storm, but it still hurt knowing he wasn’t considered good enough.

“So I’ll never be capable of governing then.” It was more of a statement than a question. Dream shook his head with a wobble.

“Not necessarily. We’re still young, we still have a lot to learn. No one knows what they’re doing, we’re figuring it out as we go. You have the capacity to be a leader, you just haven’t had the chance to exercise that aspect of leading yet. And I know I’m partially to blame for that, but right now isn’t the time to throw you into a diplomatic position.” Dream gave his friend a reassuring grasp on his shoulder, the touch was grounding.

“What can I do to be better then? I’ll do whatever it takes to show you I can rise up and be the leader you need.”

“Sap, you don’t have to prove anything. You never have. I know you deeper than I know anyone else on this earth. You’ve got it in you, it just needs pulled out, and that won’t happen overnight. Once we end the revolution I’ll need all the help I can get to put the pieces back together. I’m making you a promise, right here, that you’ll be involved with that. I’m sorry I ever pushed you out. I’m not perfect, believe it or not, I do make mistakes.” The joke made Sapnap crack the faintest smile, before turning and sinking into the chair George had been sitting in a few minutes earlier. The warmth that still clung to it sent an array of emotions running through him, all negative. He tried to forget the fear in his friend, the trace of blood that still stained the knife resting a few feet away from him. Sapnap shuddered, tears threatening to spill again.

“I fucked up.” He stated, Dream pulled his own chair around to sit close to his friend, but remained wordless. “George probably thinks I’m a monster. He’s never going to trust me again.”

Dream let a silence fall over them before speaking. “Do you remember, way back before we even had the wall finished, you and George had a massive fight. We must have been what.. Fifteen? Sixteen? You guys were fighting for days, constant bickering and shouting, you ended up having a full on sword duel by the end of it. You were so mad at each other.”

Sapnap nodded, knowing exactly what Dream was referring to. “Yeah. You made us spend two days on opposite ends of the wall just to stop us from tearing each other apart.”

“And at the end of those two days, do you remember what happened?” Sapnap didn’t have an answer, so Dream filled it in for him. “When you guys finally came back, the three of us spent the entire day down by the river fishing and swimming and laughing. It was like nothing even happened. Honestly, that day you two seemed closer than you ever had been.”

Sapnap warmed at the memory. Of course he recalled it, it had been one of his happiest days in Essempee he didn’t realize it was preceded by their fight, “You know, I don’t even remember what sparked that whole thing in the first place.”

Dream let out an airy laugh, nodding in agreement. Sapnap wasn’t sure why, but as he played that day over and over in his head, it made him begin to cry all over again. George and Dream meant the world to him, and he meant the world to them.

“George will forgive you. Because he knows that you love him, regardless of the stupid things you do. He always has, and he always will.” Sapnap broke, releasing anything he held back once and for all. The pent of rage, the envy, the forlornness that has pervaded him for so long now let out as he wept. Dream stood, squeezing himself onto the same seat as his friend and embracing him once more. The two sat for a while, taking in the closeness that they so rarely shared. Sapnap’s moment of vulnerability wasn’t fading any time soon. He accepted the comfort Dream was providing and took the time to ready himself to face George.

At least an hour had passed before the two emerged from the office, Sapnap red-faced and puffy-eyed. He didn’t even try to hide the rawness of his emotions. George was sitting at the large round table, playing a game of chess against himself. It was clear he hadn’t been focused on it though, as soon as the two stepped into the room he shot up in his chair. Sapnap stared at him, not entirely sure what he was waiting for. Dream gave him the slightest push forward, and George stood up as he took a few steps. Sapnap opened his mouth to speak, but nerves caused him to stutter out as he tried to formulate his thoughts. It didn’t matter, George was already pulling him into a hug before he managed to get out his apology.

“It’s okay. I forgive you.”

The rest of the night was spent with cups of warm apple cider and conversation. Not joking, meaningless conversation, the kind of conversation that only exists well past midnight between people who know each other deeper than they know themselves. No one left that night, sleeping or not, they didn’t want to be without each other’s company. Eventually they did move from the main room to Dream’s bedroom, finding comfortable spots on the bed or loveseats spread around the room. Their talk drifted in sleepy mumbles as they each became too tired to keep their words straight. The space was a mess of blankets and sincerity. As Sapnap felt his eyelids grow heavy he was left with one final thought. This night may be the only thing that could rival their day at the river. He was happy to let it beat out the old memory for the top place in his heart.


	14. So the Balance Shifts

The next morning arrived hard and fast and the threat of what lay ahead was daunting. No one was really ready, but they all pretended they had the confidence needed to get them through the battle ahead. Prays were sent out, hugs were shared, and words of encouragement reverberated in their minds.

With armor secured to their bodies and shields in their hands they marched into no-mans land. The hills outside Essempee’s city limits held nothing but grass, rocks, and a sparse spread of trees; but as the sun rose steadily into the sky the empty region would soon host two opposing enemies hell-bent on defeating each other. The land would see blood and tears by the time the day ended.

Dream had never specified where the two foes would meet, so as the men of L’Manberg marched steadily towards Essempee they were constantly on guard for any signs of attack. They moved past the tower their first battle had been held in, shields raised to block any arrows that may be shot. Nothing came, they continued on. Each silent moment only fueled the sense of dread they all shared. It was a ticking time bomb about to explode, and the minutes were dragging out far longer than they should have. Nearly half an hour and no sign of Dream.

They continued until they’d reached the center point of the area inside Essempee’s walls, hills on either side and a stretch of tall grass hitting their shins. Wilbur remained upright and on alert, so when the arrow was sent flying over his right shoulder he easily stepped out of its path. The trajectory seemed too far off from its target, leading Wilbur to believe it was just there to get his attention. Nevertheless, all five of the men raised a shield towards the direction it came from. Dream, followed closely behind by George, Sapnap, and Punz, crested the top of the hill to their right. None of the men had their crossbows raised though, they faced the five on the ground expectantly. Wilbur lowered his defense slightly, stepping forward. 

“Gentlemen,” he called up to them, keeping his stance steady.

“Wilbur,” came Dream’s reply, “I see you’re better prepared this time around.”

Wilbur didn’t comment on that, in fact he didn’t say anything at all, trying to figure out why they hadn't just opened fire on them. Tommy wasn’t so keen on leaving the backhanded comment unspoken for though, and took a step forward to speak. Fundy placed a hand quickly on his shoulder, just as George and Sapnap both raised their crossbows towards him.

“No no Tommy, they’ll definitely shoot you if you open your mouth,” he warned. Tommy stayed quiet, but still raised an angry look to their enemies. Dream spoke again.

“You’re really going to do this? We assumed you’d realize you're outmatched and admit defeat by now.” This time Fundy didn’t have the chance to stop Tommy from reacting to Dream’s words, and he moved up next to Wilbur with fury. He started to tell Dream off, but was silenced by an arrow landing in the dirt inches away from him. Wilbur gave him a stern glare, warning him to back off, and Fundy pulled him back into position with an ‘I told you so’ look.

“If you want to speak with us, you can come down to our level,” Wil demanded. The soldiers of L’Manberg held their breaths as Dream pondered the request, only taking a few seconds before motioning to his men. They disappeared from sight, only to reappear marching down the hill.

“No matter what happens in this war, no matter who wins or who loses, just remember that we’re on the right side of history,” Wilbur stated, instilling a much needed morality boost amongst his men. They exuded a collective air of confidence as Dream and his men fell into formation in front of them.

“I’ll give you one last chance to surrender. Lay down your swords now and no one has to die.”

Wilbur took a moment to look behind him at his men, each one giving him the same look of determination. “We’ve come to defend what’s ours. We stand for L’Manberg.”

Dream smirked, never breaking eye contact with Wilbur. A beat, the world stood still, everyone’s focus entirely on the tension of battle. The instant Dream gave the smallest nod forward, Essempee charged. L’Manberg met them in a blaze of metal, grit, and resolve.

The grunts of the warriors and the thuds of swords against shields echoed through the valley. Wilbur took the lead with Tommy, the two teaming up against Dream as they tried to gain the upper hand. Even outnumbered, the king never missed a beat, blocking one person’s hit while simultaneously striking against the other. Fundy and George were locked in even combat. Tubbo held his own against Punz, Eret kept a constant eye on the teenager as he engaged with Sapnap in a mock duel.

The fighting went on with neither side gaining ground for a while. It was almost as though neither L’Manberg or Essempee wanted to be the first to pull a deadly move. Being the first to spill blood, the first to cause a casualty, wasn’t an accomplishment. It was a consequence.

Sapnap was the first to break the rhythm that the sides had fallen into, noticing his leader struggling to keep up against both Wilbur and Tommy. Knowing his opponent wasn't actually a threat Sapnap stopped mid swing - causing Eret to freeze as well - and darted towards Dream. Tubbo briefly noticed the hesitation Eret displayed, but didn’t stop to think about it and risk breaking concentration on his own fight.

Wilbur saw Sapnap before Tommy did, and stepped forward to block the new attack. The force at which Sapnap was moving caused his strike to carry more force than Wilbur anticipated, and his shield was knocked from his grasp. He stumbled back, barely deflecting Sapnap’s second swing. The enemies blade still managed to catch him on the down swing, and left a shallow cut just below where his chest plate ended. Wilbur fought through the injury to defend himself. Eret was there as soon as possible, running up and pulling Sapnap away by the back of his collar. Wilbur dove for his shield, ready in an instant to start again. Sapnap used his own shield to shove Eret off of him, giving him an irritated stare before diving back into fighting Wilbur. The distraction Eret caused was just enough though, and Wilbur elbowed Sapnap hard in the face. The blow didn’t seem to phase him, and he spat away the blood that ran down his nose into his mouth before coming back with even more intensity.

Dream was now facing Tommy alone, and the loss of Wilbur’s presence made it so much easier to gain an advantage. The experience the king had far surpassed that of the teenager, and in a matter of seconds he had knocked the sword from Tommy’s hand. Petrified with fear, Tommy did the only thing he could and blocked the blows coming for him. The first reaction was slightly delayed, and he didn’t act in time to block Dream from slamming the edge of his shield into the bottom of his face. The pain sent through his jaw was enough to kick him into action and raise his own shield against the next strike. The vibrations of Dream’s sword hitting the wood seemed to grow heavier and heavier as Dream pushed him away from his allies. Tommy ducked his head lower beneath his shield, preparing for the next hit, when he noticed Dream’s figure turn. When he looked to see what had happened, he realized Eret now stood opposite of Dream, their swords pressed together as each man fought to overpower the other. With a moment to breath, Tommy slid the handle of his shield up his arm and grasped behind him for his bow and an arrow. He fumbled the two in his hands as he backed away from the fray. From where he stood he could see the entire battle field. He had a shot at anyone, he had to act fast before he lost his opportunity. His eyes subconsciously moved through the scuffle to find Tubbo. Punz had his back to Tommy. He aimed and fired.

The projectile hit Punz in the arm, but not hard enough to get lodged into the skin. He recoiled from the hit, dropping his shield and pulling out the arrow that barely hung onto him. With the sudden distraction Tubbo had a chance to strike him, but he didn’t. All it would take was one motion and he could win the fight. But he simply couldn’t bring himself to do it. Instead he backpedaled towards Fundy, making an effort to be closer to his ally when Punz regained composure.

Fundy noticed Tubbo retreating towards him, and shoved at George with his sword to force him further from Punz. He fought hard to land a hit on George, hoping to wound him as well, but his intensity turned to sloppiness. George took advantage of it, jabbing at the gap between the plates in the armor covering Fundy's torso. The angle was slightly off, the sword barely poking into his skin. In a desperate attempt to stop any further damage, Fundy launched his foot into George’s shin, causing the man to buckle and fall onto his back. Fundy tried to swing down, but his sword cut into George’s raised shield instead. George flung his shield to the side, nearly ripping Fundy’s sword from his hand. He had to jump back to avoid George’s next hit, giving the foe time to get back to his feet and start again.

Tommy watched everything happen from where he stood, foolishly not paying attention to himself as he made sure Fundy and Tubbo were okay. Despite the setbacks George and Punz were on the two again, but they’d lost any upper hand they’d gained. Tommy wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand, rubbing away the blood that poured from his mouth. The sight of it somehow recentered him, he focused on the soreness of his jaw and the sting of his lip, because now he _could_. There wasn’t anyone trying to kill him, he had been forgotten amongst the chaos. Tommy quickly realized the position he was in. With every other member of Essempee preoccupied in battle, he had the chance to shift the tides. He could get to the high ground. Quite Literally.

Tommy pulled another arrow from his quiver, deciding to abandon his sword that now lay feet from where Dream and Eret were dueling. He wouldn’t need it, not now at least. He dashed up the side of the hill, making his way to where their enemies had hidden at the beginning of the battle. Once at the top he notched the arrow, aiming at Sapnap, and firing. In an effort not to hit Wilbur the projectile missed his target, but still managed to draw the attention of both men. Wilbur reacted faster, shoving Sapnap away and racing towards Tubbo and Fundy. Tommy wasn’t sure what his plan was, but he knew he needed to keep Essempee at bay the best he could. He only had about ten more arrows, and he needed to make them count. He fired a second one at Sapnap as he was running after Wilbur, this time nailing the back plate of his armor.

Tubbo and Fundy saw their leader running towards them, waving his sword towards the hill on their right. Punz and George seemed to catch on too, and all four paused to glance up at Tommy raining down fire. They all understood, the two officers tried to stop the L’Manbergians from advancing towards the hill, but Wilbur was soon at their side distracting them. Wilbur’s swing narrowly missed Punz. Tubbo helped Fundy throw off George in order for the two of them to run. Wilbur also ran, but to the left away from the hill. George and Punz danced between who to chase, eventually taking after Wilbur.

By the time Tubbo and Fundy had made it up Eret was already there, leaving Wilbur alone on the ground with Dream and his men. They could see Wilbur making a loop around, turning every few seconds to fire a shot with his own bow at the two chasing him. Dream and Sapnap stood their ground, waiting and defending against the ranged attacks. Tommy and the others continued to rain down shots, most of them being deflected by shields and armor or narrowly missing.

As soon as Wilbur made it to the base of the hill Dream calls to Punz and George to regroup, and the two fell back with shields raised. Though no other words can be heard from where they stood, the five soldiers watch as Dream and his men retreated back towards Essempee. Wilbur ran up to join his team, giving the order to continue fire. Crossbows were fired back from the opposition, but none of the arrows come close to hitting thanks to their vantage point. As soon as their enemies were out of range, Tommy dropped his bow and let out a cheer of victory.

“They’ve retreated!” He cried, turning to the faint figures in the distance with glee in his voice, “Run you dirty sons of bitches!”

The others cheered as well, almost shocked at their victory. Wilbur gave Tommy a hefty pat on the back. “Well done Tommy! That was brilliant.”

“So we’ve won then! We won the battle!” Tubbo practically jumped up and down as he spoke.

“Yes, we won. But this isn’t over. We don’t know what they have planned, we need to fall back to L’Manberg. Let’s go, grab you weapons.” Everyone snapped into action, gathering their belongings as they rushed back towards their home. Tommy grabbed his sword from where it had been laying in the grass, outline just visible in the greenery. He holstered it with pride and followed his president.

As the five marched back towards L’Manberg, Eret fell to the rear of the group. His friends were still ecstatic, pride permeating their words as they made their way across the farmlands outside their walls. His heart was racing. He tried to keep up the same energy, but he knew what was to come next. It had to be now.

“Gentlemen..” His deep voice cut above the others, his allies turning their attention to him, “I think now is the time I reveal the secret I’ve been garnering.”

Everyone gave him confused looks, stopping in their tracks. He could feel his hands shaking, his chest tightening. For the briefest moment, he considered telling them about Dream. They’d come out of this battle unscathed and victorious. Even though he knew Essempee had planned to retreat all along, L’Manberg had still held its own during the battle before they fell back. It could be possible to win, his mind tried to tell him. But that thought quickly dissipated. One battle doesn’t define a war, he knew that. Today they were triumphant but tomorrow held no such promises. This was for the greater good.

“I’ve hidden away a secret weapon, if you will. Something we can use to end this war once and for all.” They all still looked quizzical, almost suspecting. That had to have been his anxieties manifesting, Eret told himself.

“A secret weapon?” Tubbo questioned.

“What is it?” Wilbur furthered. Eret glanced around before motioning for the men to follow him.

“It’s too risky to speak about it here. I’ve stowed it away in the abandoned mine just east of L’Manberg. Follow me.”

Everyone was hesitant, but eventually they fell in line as Eret led them away from their home. They found it odd that he hadn’t mentioned anything until now, but ultimately trusted him. Tommy was the last one to join, something in the back of his head telling him things were off. It wasn’t necessarily the circumstance, rather the way it was carrying out. He kept his mouth shut though, chalking up his concerns to adrenaline, a fight or flight mechanism that must have been triggered at the sudden shift of atmosphere. Eret was experienced in combat and strategy, he would be the one to pull a covert operation and win them the war.

So the five snuck off to the mines, no one sure of what was in store. Not even Eret. All he knew was that the day would end with a broken nation and shattered friendships.


	15. Out Gunned, Out Manned

The single lantern Fundy carried down from the entrance of the tunnel did very little to light the abandoned mine; the darkness of the stone and debris absorbed the flame’s illumination. As the group took careful steps down the crude path rocks rolled out from under foot, each person doing their best not to lose balance. The dank, musty air mixed with the sweat and blood that poured from the soldiers. The atmosphere of the cave certainly didn’t instill a feeling of victory, but they trusted that Eret knew what he was doing. If whatever he had stowed in the hidden bunker would give them an upper hand, it could change everything.

Tommy felt a chill run up his spine once they could no longer see the daylight from the entrance. The teen told himself it was just the cold air, but his gut couldn’t shake the twisting feeling as they moved deeper down into the mine. He reached forward to place a hand on Tubbo’s shoulder, making his friend turn quickly to acknowledge him with a pursed lip smile. Maybe it was just projecting, but Tommy swore he could see the same uneasy look behind Tubbo’s gaze as well.

They remained silent the entirety of the descent, a representation of the anxiety rising in each person. Even when they reached the opening at the bottom of the steps they remained on edge, looking around for whatever it was Eret had prepared. The space appeared empty though, there wasn’t anything besides a few narrow openings in the jagged walls that branched off into other mineshafts. Tubbo moved in close to Tommy as he glanced around expectantly. Wilbur, who stood at the front of the group with Fundy, noticed an already lit lantern hanging on a peg against the far wall. His mind took a moment to realize that no one in their group had placed it there.

“This is the final control room,” Eret spoke with a wavering finality, his four allies stiffened in unanimous concern. Something was wrong. Eret backed away from the center of the group.

The horrific revelation crept over them, and in that brief moment of distraction their enemies struck. From the openings in the walls on all sides they sprung forth, swords drawn and ready. No one had time to react, be it from the shock of the situation or the speed at which Dream and his men moved in on them. Hands flailed for a weapon, a defense, anything to stop it.

Fundy dropped the lantern to the ground, scattering glass shard over their boots and amongst the gravel as George advanced from the left. Wilbur turned to his right to see Punz barreling towards him, and as he backed away he rammed into Fundy, nearly sending them both to the ground. The two enemies mirrored each other and pinned Wilbur and Fundy back to back, weapons extended towards their throats. Further down Dream and Sapnap emerged from opposite sides of where Tommy and Tubbo stood. The two were split apart, quickly pinned to wall on either side of the cave’s entrance. Tommy struggled and kicked to get out from the hold, but Dream only pressed the flat end of his sword harder against his chest with a crooked smile. From out of his peripherals he noticed Tubbo slumping defeatedly away from Sapnap. Over Dream’s shoulder he could see Fundy and Wilbur sharing the same look of despair. Past them, standing stock still with an empty gaze, Eret watched the chaos unfold. Above the pants of hopeless men his voice rang out, cold and monotonous.

“Down with the revolution. It was never meant to be.”

No one moved, not even the men holding the soldiers at sword point. Everyone just stood in awe and confusion, unable to speak as mouths hung in betrayal.

“Eret.. how could you?” Wilbur didn’t care about the way his voice broke as he spoke, or the vulnerability he was displaying. Nothing mattered at that moment.

“Eret I worked by your side for years..” Tubbo was crying now. Tommy wanted to punch Eret. He wanted to do make the traitor feel the pain they were feeling right now.

“You bastard Eret! You – we trusted you!” As if he’d forgotten about Dream holding him back, he tried to lunge forward. Dream wasted no time in bringing a knee into Tommy’s stomach, effectively stopping him. The teen crumpled into himself, leaning against the blade pressed into his chest.

Dream spoke out, breaking L’Manberg from it’s focus on their betrayer. Amidst the sudden turn of events they seemed to have ignored their captors. They weren’t concentrated on the fact that they were likely about to be slaughtered. Death was the last thing on their minds.

“Everyone drop your weapons and remove your armor.” The four exchanged glances between each other, hesitating to obey Dream’s command. “Do you want to get stabbed? Drop the fucking equipment.”

With that they moved, slowly reaching to throw aside their swords, bows, and arrows. The sound of metal hitting stone echoed around them as they discarded everything they had. Once they were completely defenseless Dream motioned to his men to move their captives. They were roughly handled, being grabbed by the shirt or arm and thrown against the far right wall. The four made no attempt to stand dignified as Dream loomed over them, tip of his sword resting on the ground as he held it to the side. Behind him Sapnap, George, and Punz gathered their supplies. They holstered the stolen weapons in their belts and carried the armor in their hands, passing what they couldn’t hold off to Eret. Tommy stared at him with fury, watching as the very man who equipped them now robbed them of their defenses.

“We’ve taken your weapons. You’ve got nothing left. I know that you sent your people outside the walls, and I know you sent all your extra equipment with them. Go back to the Outskirts, we’ll meet you there at sundown to negotiate surrender. We won, Wilbur. It’s over.”

Dream turned to walk away without another word, the others following suit and beginning their ascent back to the surface. Eret was the last one to leave, turning to his former allies. Tommy barked one final curse at the man that dared stand before them.

“Eret listen to me, and I mean this is the worst way possible. You fucked up.” Eret let his face fall, shifting the weight of the armor in his hands.

“Farewell gentlemen.”

L’Manberg’s president stared at empty threshold, completely at a loss. All four were left with nothing but overwhelming pain and anguish. This couldn’t be over, it couldn’t end like this. A dirty play, turning their own man against them, Wilbur wouldn’t let Dream get away with this. He pictured Niki, waiting expectantly for the message of independence. Her hopes were riding on him. After everything they’d been through, he wasn’t going down without a fight.

Without a word Wilbur sprinted forward, moving up the makeshift steps with resolution. His men took after, unsure of what was going through their leader’s head, but ready to follow suit. By the time they’d made it to the top their foes had already begun walking back towards Essempee, yells of triumph audible from thirty feet away.

“Dream!” From across the field they turned to the sudden outburst. Dream put up a hand to stop them, waiting to see what the president had to say. Wilbur approached with the confidence of a man who hadn’t just lost everything.

“I’m not letting the revolution end like this,” he exclaimed, throwing his hands up in their direction. “I can’t believe you’d put up our own man against us. You had a spy on the inside the whole time, a traitor right under our noses. That’s low, even for you.”

“All is fair in love and war.” Dream smirked as he listened to the fallen president rant, unphased by the insult hurled at him. Wilbur was about to yell again, but stopped and regained composure. He could hear his men approaching from behind, and this wasn’t a side he wanted them to see.

“Look, Dream.. I know I’m not in a bargaining position here. But I’m going to be completely candid with you. Your men have done great wrongs against my people for years. After the torment and anguish we’ve suffered at your hand, we should be ripping you to pieces. Yet even after the wrongdoings you’ve caused I decided to let it go, on the conditions that we would have emancipation from you. We’d have our freedom, and we wouldn’t have to reach a point of disagreement. No more rebellions and acts of violence, I assumed you’d be happy to avoid another major conflict. Obviously I was wrong.”

The king nodded along, still smiling. There was some twisted amusement he gleaned from Wilbur’s last attempt to reason with him. Even after he’d been stripped of every advantage, he still dared to stand before his rival and attempt a peace.

“Dream, we won’t give up. Until our final breath we will fight for L’Manberg, if you continue to wage war we’ll respond. We can rebuild, come back even harder. However, I’m here to make one final negotiation with you. At the end of the day, we don’t wish for bloodshed, we don’t wish for war, we don’t wish to show our power in any way. We just want freedom. Grant us that, and this unnecessary conflict can truly be over.”

Dream laughed. The man who’d just been defeated was trying to talk his way into a victory. He had no footing to stand on, these threats were backless.

“Wilbur, there’s only one thing that will end this conflict. Would you like to know what I want?”

“What do you want Dream?”

“I want white flags of surrender raised, declaring L’Manberg is not an independent state, that it’s a part of Essempee.” Wilbur crossed his arms over his chest.

“Then we’re at an impasse.”

The two stared each other down, neither planning on backing out. Dream knew Wilbur’s words were a promise. They certainly would fight until each and everyone of them was dead. It was time for his final play.

“If you don’t surrender in the next thirty minutes, I will blow up all of L’Manberg.” Wilbur scoffed, the men behind him tensed at the threat.

“You don’t have the power or the capacity to blow up L’Manberg,” he challenged, taking an aggressive step towards Dream. The king gave him a crooked grin.

“Alright, let’s go together.”

It was silent as the group marched towards L’Manberg, Dream’s men taking up the rear and pressing the outnumbered soldiers onwards. Tubbo stood close between Tommy and Wilbur, trying to stifle the tears that still persisted. It hurt seeing the boy so distraught, the loss of Eret had hit him the hardest of anyone. Tommy felt rage begin to boil over again.

When they finally pushed through the gates of the city, Tommy spun around to come face to face with Eret. Tubbo stayed put at his side, unable to look up.

“You scum. After all this time you turn against us. You're dead to me,” he spat, voice deep and serious. He gave Tubbo’s hand a reassuring squeeze and led him to where Wilbur now stood.

“War never changes, Tommy,” Eret called after him in a somber tone. Tommy paused to retaliate, but decided not to give him the satisfaction of a response.

Ignoring the quarrel between the ex-friends, Dream walked over to George and removed a single explosive from the pack on his back as Sapnap lit a small torch. He unwound the fuse, tossing it into the threshold and placing the end carefully on the ground. The sight of the singular piece of dynamite almost made Wilbur laugh. Eret looked on with concern though.

"Listen, Dream’s given us an ultimatum. I want you all to resound with me our answer, stand alongside me here,” Wilbur called, motioning for the others to join him. Tubbo moved to his right, Tommy and Fundy on his left. With a newfound confidence he faced Dream. “Independence, or death. If we get no revolution, then we want nothing. We would rather die, than give in to you and join Essempee. You can blow up one piece of TnT in our gateway. It means nothing to us.”

Dream’s face showed not sign of emotion as he motioned his men to back away. The four revolutionaries stood tall, shoulder to shoulder, staring down their oppressor with determination. The flickering torch in his grasp did little to move them, not even as he dropped it nearer to the fuse of the explosive at their feet. They stood far enough away to avoid the blast that would go off in the entrance, willing to endure the damage in order to make their point. One detonation wouldn’t deter them. They had to prove how unmoving their perseverance could be.

Wilbur watched Dream waver, pausing as he brought the flame down to the ground. From behind him Eret’s eyes followed a seemingly random path, his gaze traveling from the dynamite in front of Dream to the land deeper within the walls. There was fear etched into his face, a frantic movement as he shook his head no. The traitor locked eyes with Wilbur. The reaction sent a sinking feeling in his gut, one he should have anticipated all along. Dream wasn’t the type of person to set off only one explosion. He grabbed for Tommy and Tubbo.

“No! Wait!” Wilbur screamed as Dream threw the torch down. Sparks traveled up towards the explosive, but instead of following just one strand it branched into three separate paths.

“Into the lake! Go! Go!” They moved as soon as their brains could catch up with the imminent threat, hurdling for the only form of safety they had. An ear-shattering boom, a rush of forceful heat, it all happened in an incompressible second.

Four bodies broke the surface of the water, their forms sinking slowly away from the carnage above. All around them they could feel the vibrations of explosions being triggered one by one, fiery light erupting above the surface. Pieces of buildings and earth were sent plunging into the water; they curled up and did their best to protect themselves from the debris that crashed around them. The men could do nothing but wait for the ruination to settle, suspended in the cold water, oxygen running low. As they hung in the balance their lungs ached for air, and after waiting for over a minute they had no choice but to break into the atmosphere once more. Tommy was the first to emerge, coughing out water as he regained his breath. Fundy surfaced to his right, helping Wilbur pull Tubbo out as well. The boy had a stream of diluted blood trickling down the side of his head, a small gash visible just below his hairline.

Wiping away the blurred vision the water left in his eyes, he could now see the destruction inflicted on L’Manberg. The entirety of the entrance had been demolished, including the gate, sections of the wall, and most Wilbur’s home. Flames danced on whatever wooden structures still stood, smoke and dust filled the air. Tommy couldn’t see far through the haze, but from what was visible nothing was left untouched. Everything they’d built, the place they called home, gone in an instant. The man who’d caused it was gone too, no sign of the enemy amidst the turmoil.

Tommy barely kept his head above water, forgetting to tread as he took in the devastation. He hadn’t even noticed the ringing in his ears until he heard Fundy’s voice faintly above the high pitched noise. The familiar sound pulled him from his trance, the muffled yells becoming clearer as he regained his senses. He propelled himself forward, feet searching for the stability of land. He looked to his right to see Wilbur propping Tubbo up against his hand, pressing a wet jacket sleeve to the injury on his head.

“Shit,” He whispered, moving as fast as he could next to his friend. The teenager seemed to be stable, head drooping slightly as he winced in pain. Wilbur inspected the cut, asking Tubbo questions and assessing for any signs of trauma.

“What’s happened.. what’s happened..” The teen muttered, though they all knew it was a rhetorical statement rather than an actual question.

“Oh God..” Wilbur sunk down to his knees, face devoid of any emotion. There was nothing else to say, really. Words couldn’t describe the complete and utter despondency that one simple action had left. Tommy silently stood, walking across the disrupted terrain onto what used to be the dirt road through town. He slowly turned, looking across the desolate nation. Wilbur joined him next, making sure Tubbo could sit up before stumbling towards the remains of his home. He maneuvered through the debris to search for bandages, anything. It was gone though. The wall that once held his stock was obliterated. As if in a trance he moved deeper in, stopping in his bedroom. The majority of the floor still remained, he got on his hands and knees to pry up the floorboard. Beneath, miraculously, was their declaration. The paper looked as new as the day it was signed. With trembling hands he carried it out of the wreckage, joining his men once more. Fundy had ripped off the sleeve of his undershirt and tied it around Tubbo’s wound. The bleeding seemed to have stopped already. Tommy noticed the piece of paper held in his president’s hands and his heart broke all over again.

“Our declaration is signed by a traitor,” Wilbur muttered out. Fundy lifted Tubbo to his feet, guiding him over to where Tommy stood with Wilbur.

“We’ve lost everything,” Fundy whispered. Tommy wanted to agree, he wanted to give into the defeat and break down. Yet there was still a spark in him, something telling him to hold onto hope. His friends had given up. Wilbur had given up. He had to be the one to hold them together.

“No, we haven’t. Do you want to know what we have left? We have each other.” The others slowly lifted their gaze to meet his, astonished by the light that didn’t seem to fade behind his eyes. “Look.. At this point, I don’t think we can win this. These may be our last moment between us. I’m really not sure how long we have left.”

“Wil, this is the point where you pull out our last move,” Fundy breathed out, “Please.”

Silence befell them. Wilbur couldn’t lie to them anymore.

“There is no last move.” No one’s demeanor changed, as much as they wanted to believe in their future they all knew this was the end. “We’ve lost all opportunity, we have nothing. All we can do now is accept the conditions of surrender to save ourselves from any more bloodshed. They’ve entrapped our land, they’ve set up explosives, they destroyed all our homes. Death is the only other mean for which they can get control over us, and I won’t let that happen. I feel I would be a bad president if I didn’t negotiate a surrender.”

Wilbur sighed, rolling the declaration up and placing it on the crumbled remains of his home. It sat stark against the rocks and dirt. It was time to say goodbye to L’Manberg. “Tommy Innit, I want you to come with me to meet with Dream. Fundy, keep watch over Tubbo, look to see if any homes survived the blast. We fought well, you all were valiant soldiers. It was an honor to battle alongside you.”

Somber nods echoed the agreement as the group split into two. Tommy caught Tubbo’s gaze before he turned to walk deeper into the ruined city, giving him one last nod. His mind drifted to the bench on the hill, thinking about their plans to watch the sunset. He longed to be sitting there with his best friend, free from the troubles of the war. He wished he was a child, running around the Outskirts with Tubbo causing mischief. To be carefree, without the weight of reality weighing down in every way. There was no going back there now though. He had to face what lie ahead, prepare himself to give up everything he’d dreamed of.

A hand on his shoulder made him jolt, looking over to see Wilbur with a saddened smile across his face. The leader sighed.

“We’ll do what we can to ensure safety for our people. We won’t leave this agreement completely satisfied, but we can find a compromise,” He gave Tommy a warning glance, face going stern. “I want you to make sure you don’t run your mouth. I know you despise Dream, but now isn’t the time to act out. We’ve done all we can to fight, now is the time to rest. Nothing we can say or do will change his mind.”

Tommy nodded, the two moved forward towards Essempee. “I wanted to win so bad Wil. I really thought at the end of this we’d walk away with a better life for L’Manberg. All I wanted was to prove myself.”

Wilbur gave him an earnest look. “You did good Tommy. You were a good right hand man. By all accounts, you have proven yourself. We didn’t need to win for you to show how passionate you are about our people. Everyone knows you’d do anything to defend those you care about, I have no doubt that fire will never fade. You’ve got a bright future Tommy, I promise you. You’ll do great things someday.”

Tommy believed that. Wilbur was right, he would do great things, but those achievements wouldn’t be far in the future. He didn't know entirely admit it to himself, but he knew he was had to make one last attempt for their independence. Tommy made a promise to himself that he would do whatever it took to secure his family the life they deserved, no matter the cost.


	16. Ten Duel Commandments

Dream would be lying if he said he hadn’t expected Wilbur to surrender in a matter of hours. The rigged explosives were his final measure, because while they were devastating, he knew it would prove effective. He hadn’t wanted to light it, truthfully, but Wilbur had forced his hand. There wasn’t a need for that much destruction, but it was better that he took them down this way than with a sword through the chest.

The state Wilbur and Tommy were in was pathetic. Their coats still hung heavy with water on their frame. Blood stained Wilbur’s uniform, his curly hair lay tangled in front of his face. Tommy’s jaw was beginning to bruise, and the cut in his lip had begun to bleed again from the teen anxiously chewing on it. They were visibly exhausted from the physical and mental toll of the day. It didn’t matter, they were there to surrender. They’d lost, their appearance may as well reflect it.

Dream and his officers were waiting expectantly for their arrival. It didn’t take long for the discussion to begin, neither side bothered with formalities.

“I’m here to negotiate surrender. You’ve done it. We can’t fight back anymore,” Wilbur’s voice was dead, he didn’t try to muster any emotion. “My only request is you spare our lives, and the lives of our people. Whatever other conditions you have we will agree to.”

“Wilbur, Tommy, I’m glad you’ve finally given up. I have no intentions of executing you, but you will face punishments just like those before you.” Dream looked over to Tommy. “You remember, don’t you Tommy? Those who go against me face the consequences. Of course, I can’t banish you to the Outskirts like I did all those years ago, seeing as you’re already there. I’ll come up with something though.”

Tommy stared at a random point in the distance, not wanting to look at Dream. 

“You know, it’s a good thing my explosives proved so effective. I was worried I’d have to start putting in actual effort to end you’re little revolution.” Tommy’s lip curled in anger at Dream’s insult. Wilbur took a deep breath.

“I’d say we fought well,” he countered.

“You could say that.”

“What do you mean you could say that? The only reason we’re standing here is because you turned our man against us. You blew up a nation that tried to reach out a peaceful hand. You may have won but it was a coward’s victory,” Wilbur huffed out.

“I’m not going to apologize for being better and smarter than you! Did you really think you would be able to beat me? L’Manberg was destined to fail, you were just too blind to see it.” At that point Tommy couldn’t contain his anger anymore. His tensing muscles finally released as he lunged at his enemy.

“You know what Dream? Why don’t we fight!”

“Tommy.” Wilbur’s reply came out cool yet stern. Tommy ignored it, continuing on.

“Why don’t we fight right now!”

“Tommy!”

“You son of a bitch! Why don’t we one versus one – ”

“Tommy calm!”

Wilbur forcibly pulled the boy back from Dream, gripping his arm tight. He didn’t turn to look at his president as he continued.

“You’ve taken everything from us Dream. If you truly think you could beat us no matter what, then what do you have to lose? Let’s duel, right here, in front of everyone.” Wilbur yanked even harder, bring Tommy stumbling back to his side.

“What was the one thing I asked?” Wilbur raised a single finger, his voice low and quiet.

“I’ve got to do this. Without L’Manberg we have nothing. I can’t give up yet.” Wilbur was about to reply when Dream’s voice sounded out.

“What are the details of the one versus one?” Both Tommy and Wilbur looked over in shock. Dream stood close to them, arm’s crossed expectantly. Tommy hadn’t anticipated that he’d accept so quickly.

“Bow duel. Ten paces. A one versus one for L’Manberg, me versus you.”

Wilbur shook his head, pulling his right hand man closer to him. “Tommy this isn’t worth – ”

“Wilbur I’ve got to do this.”

“Your life is worth more than the revolution.”

“This isn’t just about the revolution anymore,” Tommy stared into Wilbur’s eyes with a newfound earnestness. “Look around us! We deserve better. You told me that L’Manberg isn’t a place, it’s the people. I won’t accept a life of oppression and misery anymore. If I don’t do this for my family, then I’ve let them down.”

Wilbur’s heart broke. All this time, after so many years of pushing Tommy to be his best, it was finally coming to fruition. He’d found how to put his heart into his passions. Wilbur just wished it didn’t mean putting his life on the line.

“This man does not speak for me Dream. But if this is something you’re both willing to do then I’ll allow it to happen.”

Dream stepped forward, prompting Tommy to spin and face him. “If you win, then you can have independence. If you lose, you don’t get independence, and I have the right to prosecute all of you for crimes against the crown.”

Tommy took one last look at his leader. Wilbur gave him a solemn nod of approval.

“Deal.”

Dream and Tommy shook hands, marking the validity of their verbal agreement. Dream could feel how shaky the teen’s hand was. His terror was a stark contrast to the confidence the king exuded. This wouldn’t be an even duel, Dream realized. He couldn’t retract his agreement now though. The wheels were already in motion.

“It’s almost sundown,” Wilbur commented.

“Gather your men. Meet us at the bridge, we’ll finish this war where we started it.”

Tommy gathered the last bow they could find amongst their ruined city. Fundy got him an arrow, no quiver to hold it. The two items just hung limply at his side as the boy grappled with the impending duel. 

Tubbo didn’t want to let his best friend go. He begged him to back out. He told him it wasn’t worth it, that having L’Manberg would mean nothing if he couldn’t have Tommy with it. Tommy just smiled through his anxiety ridden gaze and made a comment about how he didn’t need to worry, he wasn’t planning on losing. Still, Tubbo pulled him into a hug and stayed there, doing everything he could to calm his own nerves. He buried his head into Tommy’s shoulder, telling him that when he won the duel they could finally watch the sunset together. Tommy just nodded, a silent promise.

The four marched with heavy anticipation towards the bridge. Everything was riding on this, on Tommy. The pressure was starting to eat at the teenager, the confidence from his earlier outbursts now fading away. By the time they reached the fateful site Dream and the other men of Essempee had already taken up their positions. George, Sapnap, and Punz were perched on the rocks L’Manberg had used for cover days earlier. Eret was there as well, off to the side but still visible. A pensive frown was stuck on his face. 

L’Manberg fell into their spots on the opposite bank, standing just off to the side of the bridge. Tommy fiddled with his bow, not yet moving to stand opposite Dream. It wasn’t until now that he realized his anxieties weren’t just rooted in his own demise, but the fact that he could potentially be responsible for someone else’s. Tommy had never taken another person’s life. Even when he was in the midst of battle his subconscious seemed to stop him from making any deadly moves. He never imagined having to do such an act, yet now here he was, voluntarily walking into a death match. All of a sudden he realized he didn’t want to kill Dream. Even if it meant winning, he didn’t want to fire that arrow. Sure Tommy despised him, and he wanted their tormentor to lose, but not like this. Not at his own hand.

But he knew full well that Dream wouldn’t hesitate to use this opportunity to land a killing shot. It had to be one of them, and Tommy didn’t want it to be himself. 

Tommy turned rapidly to face Wilbur. For the briefest moment, Wilbur saw him as a twelve year old boy again. He saw the boy who’d been banished to the Outskirts after being caught in the middle of a rebellion he didn’t fully understand. He saw the scared, lonely child that he was so many years ago. The look on his face now was one that was all too familiar in the worst way. Tommy may have grown since then, but underneath it all he still held onto the fading innocence of a child thrown into a world at war. 

“What happens if I miss?” 

Wilbur took a deep breath, trying not to let his emotions overcome him. “Tommy these were your conditions. I told you your passion and your fire is brilliant, but it’s not good in these situations. I know this is terrifying, it’s okay to be scared. We all have faith in you, just remember that.”

Another pause before Tommy spoke again. “Do I shoot him Wil or do I aim to the skies?”

Wilbur was about to give adamantly tell him to take the shot, knowing that an act of peace wouldn’t be reciprocated, but he stopped himself. He couldn’t make the choice for him, and more importantly, he wasn’t going to force him to fire that arrow. If he gave the word, Tommy would follow it. Taking Dream’s life would weigh on his conscience forever. If that was a choice Tommy made, it would be on his own accord. 

“Tommy.. I want you to do whatever your heart says you should do.” The statement hurt as Wilbur spoke it, but he had to come to terms with the fact that Tommy was nearly an adult now. He had to make this decision on his own.

Tommy took in his mentor’s words, nodding and turning back to the bridge. Dream stood confidently in the middle of it, even without his armor on he seemed invincible. He flexed the arrow in the bow methodically, holding a blank expression. Tommy wished he knew what his opponent was thinking. With one last glance to Tubbo, Fundy, and Wilbur, he moved up to take his position. Dream glanced up at him, giving him a nod.

Wilbur moved to higher ground, now able to look over the bridge and see both men with their bows readied.

“Backs to each other, I will count ten paces. When I have said the word ‘fire’ you may turn around and fire upon each other. Do you both understand?” Dream and Tommy gave curt nods, flipping around to face opposite of each other. The teen could feel the warmth of his enemy brush against him as their backs barely touched. A deep breath, his hand gripped the bow. All too soon Wilbur’s voice echoed across the battlefield.

“One.. two.. three..” His hand trembled as he notched the arrow in the string of the bow. He had to fire. He had to commit to the act before reasoning could change his mind. 

“Four.. five.. Six..” Each step took him further from Dream, closer to his family. He could see them now, the ones he was fighting for. 

“Seven.. eight.. nine..” Aim and shoot. He could do this. Focus on the future of L’Manberg, on freedom, on independence, on the people.

"Ten paces - fire!” 

A hairpin swivel, a raised bow, the vibrations of an arrow being launched forth, everyone held their breaths as the world slowed to imprint the penultimate moment in their minds. Two projectiles grazed past each other as they approached their targets. As soon as it had started, it was over; one man left standing a victor, the other clutching at the arrow lodged in his stomach.

Tommy took one staggering step backwards, a gush of warmth flowing down his hands. Cheers from the opposite bank rang out above the silent anguish of the defeated, but the boy didn’t hear them. He crumpled, barely catching himself and leaving red handprints on the weathered wood. From the corners of his blackening vision he thought he saw Dream take a step towards him, but his allies were around him in an instant. He felt hands guide his head down into someone’s lap, now laying on his back and looking up at the sky. Tommy could see Tubbo’s face looking down at him, saying something that he could barely understand. Tubbo gently stroked the side of his face, repeating over and over the same comforting phrase. A sharp pain from his abdomen made him jerk, unable to see Wilbur working furiously to stop the bleeding. He couldn’t see anything but Tubbo and the brilliant pinks and oranges above him. Tommy smiled ever so slightly. He’d gotten to see the sunset with Tubbo after all. 

That was the last thing to cross his mind before the world went dark around him.

Almost a full day passed before Tommy opened his eyes again.

The late afternoon sun streaming into the cottage caused a ripple of confusion to wash over him. He tried to sit up, but fell back down to the pillow when he felt the pain in his stomach erupt at the movement. The events of the duel came back to him in one sudden flood, bringing the feeling of dismay with it. He’d lost. 

Tommy looked around and noticed he was in Niki’s home, one of the few structures not to be blown up. His hoarse voice called out the first name that came to mind. The person entered the room almost immediately.

“Tommy,” Tubbo breathed out with pure joy. He took hurried steps to his bed, falling into the nearby chair and scooting as close as possible to his friend. The instinctual movement led Tommy to think that this wasn’t the first time Tubbo had been sat at his side.

“Hey,” he squeaked out, unsure of what else to say.

“Thank God you’re awake. I knew you’d be alright, but I was scared, you know? But you’re okay, Wilbur fixed you up real good.”

“What happened,” Tommy asked through his dry mouth. 

“Well.. we’ve been here, the four of us. Wilbur hasn’t gone to retrieve Niki yet. He isn’t entirely ready to face the others, I think. He’s not doing too well, with being defeated and everything. He’s just sort of.. lost.” Tommy’s face fell, causing Tubbo to quickly backtrack, “It’s not your fault though. You were amazing to risk your life like that. Without you we wouldn’t have even had the chance to get our independence. We’d already be back at the mercy of Dream.” 

“So.. have we formalized our agreement of surrender?” He questioned, but Tubbo shook his head. 

“They haven’t met with us yet. George was here this morning to see how you were doing. We told him you hadn't woken up yet, and he left. I’m guessing they wanted to wait until you could be there too.” That would have made Tommy feel better, if it weren’t for the fact that they were waiting for him to be there so they could prosecute him too. He shifted so he was sitting up, ignoring the pain it brought.

“We haven’t signed our lives away yet.” He stated with a sardonic tone. Tommy stared forward absentmindedly. A piece of him still felt like he hadn’t done enough, despite the fact that he had literally almost died trying to win their freedom. Almost died. Tommy wondered if Dream hoped he was dead; when he showed up to finally surrender, would Dream be disappointed that he hadn’t used his chance to get rid of him once and for all. He probably would be. 

Tubbo filled Tommy in on any other detail he could think of before going out to tell the others. Tommy was only half listening, his mind still preoccupied on the outcome of the duel and their nation’s imminent demise. Even when Wilbur and Fundy came in to see him, he couldn’t seem to focus on his friends. It was a bittersweet reunion with the knowledge that these would be their last few moments as L’Manbergians.

As dusk fell upon them and everyone retreated to bed, Tommy Innit had begun to form a plan in his mind. It was stupid and reckless and could very well prove futile. But if it worked, it could change everything. So many times it seemed Essempee had won, yet so many times L’Manberg rose to its feet and fought harder. Even now, in a situation seemingly irreparable, there could still be hope. Tommy had to try. He had nothing else to lose. 

So as his comrades fell asleep with surrender filling their minds, Tommy slipped into the night to make one last deal with the devil. 


	17. The World Was Wide Enough

Torrents of rain poured down on the wounded soldier as he walked the length of the city. The lights and sounds of Essempee that once made the civilization feel secure were now gone. All that remained was the emptiness of a town at rest. The only way through the dark streets was the faint light of the moon and Tommy’s reflex memory of where his feet were taking him.

By the time he reached the gates of Dream’s manor he was exhausted and weak. The wound in his stomach had reopened, the blood and rain that soaked his coat became almost indistinguishable. He limped towards the guards stationed outside, stopping in the middle of the cobble path as they caught sight of him and raised their crossbows.

“Who goes there?” A guard called, one Tommy was sure he would recognize but couldn’t care enough to recall.

“Tommy Innit. I want to speak to Dream.”

The two exchanged glances, stopping to say something to each other. The first guard motioned his head towards the manor, and the second promptly retreated up the hill.

“Hands up, drop your weapons.” Tommy did as he said, throwing his sword to the ground. He waited for a few minutes until the guard finally came back down. He whispered something to his companion, and gave Tommy a stern glare.

“Dream will see you now.”

The home was unlike anything Tommy had seen. The high ceilings and grand furniture made him feel smaller than he ever had before. His blood boiled, knowing Dream lived like this while so many of the people in L’Manberg had no more than a shed as a home. At least, they used to.. He had to shake those angers from his mind, that wasn’t why he was there. 

The guards stationed themselves behind Tommy as they stood in the middle of the grand room. Dream was nowhere to be seen. The only light came from the dulling fireplace and the candles burning down to their ends on the chandelier. Tommy wondered if Dream never actually intended to meet him, but rather use the chance to shoot him in the back when he had his guard down. Those thoughts were soon proven wrong when he saw the door to the right swing open. 

Seeing Dream like this - in simple clothes and a night robe - it felt so incredibly foreign. He’d rarely ever seen him without armor on, let alone in such vulnerable attire as this. For the first time Tommy saw Dream as though he was just a person. 

There was a long silence as Dream made his way closer to them. The low light illuminated his face, showing the arrogant yet calm expression he held. He looked to the guards, waving them away with his hand.

“Leave us to ourselves,” He told them. They both hesitated for a moment, but eventually turned and retreated back into the dreary night. Dream held Tommy’s gaze for a minute, before walking to the table and pulling out a chair. He sat back, legs crossed and arms resting, looking the boy up and down.

“Would you like to sit?” Dream asked. Tommy made no reply. Dream sighed, sitting forward ever so slightly. “Have you come here to kill me?”

“No,” Tommy replied, “I’ve come here to make a deal.”

Dream leaned back again, smirking to himself. “Your last one didn’t go so well.”

“This one I can’t lose.” Tommy looked to the ground, composing himself before addressing Dream again. His breathing had become unsteady, either from fear or the reopened wound, he couldn’t tell for sure. “I know what you want from me.”

Dream furrowed his brow, still smiling to himself, “And what’s that?”

“You want me dead. You want to be the one to take my last breath from my lungs.” Dream didn’t reply, he just looked at Tommy with a furrowed brow and let him continue talking. “I know you want me gone. I’ve been a thorn in your side for years. You’ve tried to get rid of me plenty of times. When I was twelve you forced me out of the city to the Outskirts. When that didn’t stop me from acting against you, you sent your men to try and beat me into following your laws. You waited years until I was old enough to be arrested publicly. I know that once I was behind bars you would use that chance to finish me off. And then, when you finally had an open shot at me, you couldn’t even manage to land a fatal arrow.”

“Where are you going with all this?” Dream finally cut into the boy’s monologue. Tommy looked down, taking a deep breath.

“I want to make a trade.” Tommy stepped forward as he reached behind him to his waist band, slowly pulling out the knife he’d stashed away. With one motion, he pulled it into view and tossed it on the floor. It skittered across the stone, blade clattering loudly, until it came to a halt a few feet from Dream. He just watched Tommy with curious eyes, unmoving. 

“My life for L’Manberg’s independence.”

Dream let out a small, breathy laugh. “Really?” 

Tommy nodded. His legs felt heavy and he knew he wouldn’t be able to stand on them for much longer. With a face of stone Tommy sank to his knees, never letting his gaze with Dream break. 

“No strings attached. My people are granted freedom and you can get rid of me for good.” 

“Hmm,” Dream hummed, his face showed the wheels turning in his mind. It took a moment for him to move, but slowly, he stood from his chair and approached the knife. He picked it up, looking it over in his hand. The handle was worn and the piece of fabric tied around it was tattered and stained. The blade was like new though, and Dream wondered if Tommy had just recently sharpened it. 

“So what’s stopping me from killing you now and destroying L’Manberg tomorrow?” 

“Nothing. I just have to hope that you have the integrity to uphold your word.”

Dream looked down at the defeated teenager in the middle of his floor. The boy had crossed the city, stood in front of his enemy, and handed over his own knife to be slaughtered with. Dream didn’t know whether Tommy was courageous or stupid. But he couldn’t deny that an inkling of respect was beginning to form for him. 

The air in the room was dense with anticipation. Tommy knew what he was doing when he left L’Manberg, but the idea of death hadn’t fully set in his mind. These would be his last few moments, here with a man he’s despised for years. It was humbling. Being at the mercy of others was never something Tommy felt comfortable with, but what he was doing wasn’t for himself. This was for his friends - his family. If he could grant them freedom and safety then he would gladly die a hundred times over. 

Dream took a step towards Tommy, the knife held loosely in his hands. Taking someone’s life was never something he enjoyed. He’d done it before and he knew he would again, but not because it gave him some twisted satisfaction. He killed in the heat of battle, he killed to defend himself. But a premeditated slaughter toed a line that Dream never anticipated crossing. Walking those ten paces made his heart race, not because he was afraid of losing, but because he had to mentally prepare himself for the act of shooting down a man. No adrenaline to override his sense of morality. Maybe he hadn’t landed a fatal shot on purpose. 

“Tommy..” Dream said, taking two more steps towards him, “You listed off all the things I’ve done to you. And I won’t deny them.”

Tommy sucked in a breath as Dream sank to sit on his haunches, close enough to touch him. Dream fiddled with the blade, twisting it around in his hand.

“You forgot something though.” Tommy gave him an odd look. “When you were eleven, I caught you pickpocketing one of my soldiers. You were young and stupid, you clearly didn’t realize who you were messing with. I could have punished you, but for some reason I was intrigued by you. The fire I saw in you was too much potential to put out. So I offered you an opportunity to enroll for free in my military school, teach you reading, writing, math, and have you train to put your passion into something useful. You turned me down.”

Tommy racked his brain for the memory of what Dream was describing. He could faintly remember the day, he remembered the feeling of loathing towards the crown. It came back to him slowly, how he’d practically spat in Dream’s face refusing the offer. 

“It’s a shame. You could have done great things.” Dream looked down intently, waiting to see what reaction he would get from the teenager. Tommy didn’t move a muscle. “Would you say yes if I offered it to you now?”

“I’m not a traitor.”

“And I’m not actually offering it. It’s a hypothetical.”

“I’ve chosen my side and I stand by it.”

Dream smiled, nodding his head. The answer wasn’t surprising to him, which was somewhat comforting. He saw himself in Tommy, a boy with hopes he was willing to die for. A leader.

Dream rotated the knife in his hand, extending the handle to Tommy.

“You still have potential to reach Tommy Innit.”

Tommy had to take a moment to process what just happened. Dream was turning him down. The boy slowly took the knife back, watching with bewildered eyes as Dream retreated back to his chair. Tommy remained on the ground, brain reeling.

“This is important to you. I can see that,” Dream’s voice was unexpectedly soft, “I never thought you’d be the kind of person to sacrifice your life for others. I always assumed you would grow up to be a man who only looks out for their own interests”

“Well I guess we were both wrong about each other..” Tommy comments, still shocked that he was spared. Dream smirks.

“All of us have been looking at the world in black and white. We’ve failed to see the gray on both sides.”

A silence followed. Tommy didn’t know what to do, this was his last attempt, he had nothing left to offer. He didn’t plan on leaving without independence, in fact he hadn’t planned to leave at all. Luckily, Dream answered the unspoken questions in Tommy’s mind.

“I’ll grant L’Manberg its independence.” Tommy’s head shot up, his heart skipping a beat. Dream paused, thinking for a moment before he continued. “However, I have three conditions.”

“Okay..” The teenager stuttered, still shocked at Dream’s sudden cooperation.

“The first condition is that both sides agree to cease fire, no more aggressive acts against the other. The second is that anyone who declares themselves a part of your nation is barred from entering Essempee, and vice versa, unless otherwise agreed upon.”

Tommy nodded, finding those terms fair. He waited with expectant eyes for the last agreement, Dream had paused though.

“What’s the third?” He asked, worry building in him. Dream gave the boy a pensive stare.

“My third condition is that you’ll owe me one favor, at my discretion, no questions asked.” Tommy tensed, not liking the ambiguity of the request. If he agreed, he would be giving the king unfettered control over him. But if that was what it took to gain independence, then it had to be worth it. He had no choice but to accept.

“I won’t do anything to harm my friends,” Tommy stipulated.

“That’s a vague statement. Be more specific.”

“I won’t lay a hand on my friends.” Tommy looked up, hoping that would be enough.

Dream gave a genuine smile and a nod. “We have a deal.”

He rose from his seat, crossing the room to grab a paper and pen. Tommy watched in silence as Dream scribbled across the paper, copying the exact words each had spoken, and signing it at the bottom. He motioned to Tommy to sign it, and the boy stashed his knife and limped over to the table. He looked it over, seeing that only the third condition was transcribed onto the contract.

“Tomorrow morning I’ll meet with Wilbur to negotiate an official treaty, with the first two conditions we spoke of. This one will be kept between you and I.” Tommy hesitantly nodded, looking over the paper one last time to make sure he knew what he was getting into. With his own signature now added, Dream carefully rolled up the paper and tied it up with a green ribbon. Tommy was still dumbfounded by the series of events the night had produced. It felt like a dream, he wouldn’t be surprised if he woke up in Niki’s cottage, all of this nothing more than a figment of his overworked brain.

“So that’s it then?” Tommy asked, stepping away from the table. “We meet tomorrow?”

“I suppose so,” Dream stared forward, his face holding an unreadable expression.

“Okay..” Tommy turned, limping towards the front door. He could hear a steady inhale behind him, Dream spoke up once more.

“Tommy.. you won’t make it past my gates in that state. At least let me redress your wound before you go.”

Tommy stopped. The last thing he wanted was to let his enemy get that close and personal to him. He didn’t think Dream would try and harm him, but letting his worst enemy act as an ally was demeaning. As much as he wanted to deny, he knew in the back of his mind that Dream was right. He wouldn’t be able to make it home with the amount of blood he was losing. Tommy sighed, moving to sit down in the nearest chair.

“Fine.”

Dream silently went about gathering the supplies – disinfectants, bandages, even a suture kit. He pulled up a chair next to Tommy, sitting down and staring at him expectantly. Tommy groaned slightly, peeling off his jacket and exposing his bloodstained shirt. He lifted it up, the cold air giving him goosebumps as he did. Dream soaked a cloth in warm water, motioning towards Tommy to make sure he was ready. Tommy nodded, and sucked in a breath as he felt the fabric wipe away the blood. It hurt like hell, but he did his best not to show it. Dream was focused as he worked, checking to see the state of the wound. The stitches seemed to hold fairly well, he didn’t want to mess them up by trying to redo them. Instead he moved onto disinfecting.

“I have a question for you,” Dream asked quietly. Tommy perked up.

“Hmm?” He replied.

“Did you start to hate me before or after the first rebellion?” The inquiry caught Tommy off guard, and he had to think about it.

“I.. I don’t know. I suppose after.” Tommy was hesitant to add his next thought, but his tired mind didn't seen to care enough to stop him. “I wouldn’t say I _hate_ you. I mean, I don’t like you. But I mostly hate the.. control.”

Dream nodded, finishing up cleaning the wound.

“Maybe I started to hate you when I was pushed to the Outskirts, when I found Wilbur.”

Dream hummed knowingly, as though Tommy had answered exactly how he wanted him to. Tommy gave an inquisitive look. “What?”

“Nothing, I’m just not surprised. Wilbur has always seen me as the bad guy, and himself as the good guy. He has a very negative view of me.”

“Is he wrong?” Tommy pushed, Dream now wrapping clean bandage around his torso.

“Not necessarily. Although he paints me to be more of a tyrant than I consider myself to be.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t act like a tyrant then. That might change the way people look at you.”

Dream laughed at Tommy’s quip, admiring the fact that he was confident enough to take a jab at him even when he was in such a vulnerable position. He tied off the bandage tight enough to put pressure on the gash. He stood from his spot, prompting Tommy to lower his shirt and put his dirtied coat back on. The soaked fabric chilled him, but he pushed that aside. As he did Dream fetched a cup of water for him.

“Drink up and rest for a minute.” Tommy did, gulping down the liquid quickly. He leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes, almost forgetting where he was. Dream watched quietly, intrigued by the events of the evening. He considered the possibility that the boy may just fall asleep right then and there, it was long past midnight by now. Tommy was calm, a new sight to the king. He realized this was the first time they’d ever had a civilized conversation that didn’t devolve into yelling or threats. It astounded him that the two were able to find peace in each other’s company. Of all his enemies in L’Manberg, Tommy was the last person he imagined building some sort of rapport with. A part of him was glad though. Maybe once the dust had settled with their conflict, the two sides could come around to finding a middle ground. It was an unrealistic thought, but after all the fighting and loss Dream was ready to find reconciliation. Maybe Wilbur was doing something right over there. Time would only tell how long his leadership would maintain serenity in L’Manberg.

Tommy eventually stirred, rubbing his face and standing to his feet again. He wobbled a bit, but looked steady enough. Dream walked to the front door, opening it to allow Tommy to leave. The boy approached him slowly, giving him one final half smile before venturing back into the night.

“You know.. I never intended to kill you,” Dream stated as Tommy was across the threshold. He stopped, turning back to face him.

“Which time?”

Dream laughed, moving back into his home. “Goodnight Tommy.”


	18. The World Turned Upside Down

Tommy didn’t tell Wilbur what happened that night at Dream’s manor. As soon as he made it back he went directly to his president, stirring him awake and telling him they’d won. It took a few minutes for the news to set in. When Wilbur had gone to sleep that evening he anticipated waking up to a treaty of surrender, not of independence. It didn’t help that Tommy didn’t give any details of what occurred between himself and their rival. Despite Wilbur’s attempts to fish out any sort of information of what happened, Tommy said nothing other than that the conversation between them had caused Dream to have a change of heart. That was a version of the truth, after all.

Wilbur knew there was more to it than that, and even with Tommy withholding information he could put two and two together. There was only one thing Tommy could have offered to attempt to change Dream’s mind; Wilbur was both shocked and grateful that the king had refused it. Still, there was no way Dream had simply given them their freedom. Wilbur was sure Tommy had given something up to secure their victory. Nevertheless, he decided not to push for that information. Whatever happened was something Tommy wanted to keep to himself, Wilbur knew the events would be disclosed eventually. Right now they would focus on their independence, the gritty details could be pushed aside for the time being.

Wilbur stood with Tommy, Tubbo, and Fundy by his side as he drafted the treaty between Essempee and L’Manberg. Everyone from the opposing side was there as well, all except Eret. Dream was surprisingly cooperative, though still firm. He came in with a set of demands that he wouldn’t negotiate, all of which Wilbur agreed to. They laid out the boundaries of each nation, how resources would be shared, and even how trade agreements could be carried out once the two sides overcame their lingering hostility. Everything detailed in the document gave way to a new future, one with L’Manberg as a separate and emancipated nation. Everyone from the newly freed state was overcome with joy as they signed the treaty, all but Tommy, who put on a face of glee to mask the uneasiness that sat within him. The third condition, the one Dream held in his private possession, was heavy on his mind. He tried to dismiss it, revel in their triumph instead. A time would come when he would need to face the consequences of that decision, but now wouldn’t be that time. They’d won, it was time to start rebuilding what they lost and put forth the new glories of their nation.

Dream felt an unexpected amount of peace once the treaty had been signed.

The king hadn’t realized how much tension he’d been holding in for the past few weeks. Only once the conflict was officially resolved was he able to feel truly at ease. Despite technically being on the losing side of the conflict, he felt like he walked away for the best.

George and Sapnap were incredibly confused when Dream told them about his agreement of surrender, probably just as confused as Wilbur had been when he was told of the reclaimed victory. When they asked why he’d changed his mind out of the blue after they’d already won, he didn’t have a straightforward answer. In his own mind he’d justified the choice a number of ways. He wouldn’t say it was solely Tommy that changed his mind; even if that was true, he wasn’t going to give the teenager the credit. There were plenty of diplomatic reasons why it was smarter to let them break off. The revolutionaries wouldn’t just let go of their hatred for him, in fact it would only be amplified after the actions they’d taken against them in the war. Trying to govern them would be a nightmare, whatever compliancy they’d fallen into would surely be long gone. In many ways it was worth it to allow that group of people to separate themselves from Essempee. The people in his city – as far as he knew – didn’t feel the level of ill-will towards him that L’Manberg did. Dream provided a stable and safe environment for his people, and he realized there was little reason to worry about them pulling their own rebellion. L’Manberg would surely struggle to build up it’s own stability, it would take a few years until they could even begin to match Essempee’s success as a nation. Dream and his people would watch them struggle, and that would be enough to solidify their loyalty to Essempee.

Even still, Dream knew that his reasoning wasn’t entirely based on political strategy. He didn’t want to admit it, but a part of him had acted with his heart rather than his brain. Seeing Tommy, broken and willing to give up everything, it flipped a switch in Dream. All this time he knew L’Manberg was dedicated to the revolution, he knew Wilbur had a goal and was willing to do whatever it took to reach it. Wilbur was older, he was wiser and had more experience under his belt. Dream saw him as the driving force behind the movement, with everyone else blindly following his lead. So when Tommy stepped up to sacrifice his life after all seemed lost, it caught Dream off guard. The display of passion was what made him agree to the duel. Tommy’s willingness to die for his country was the last push Dream needed to give L’Manberg it’s independence. And he was glad he did.

It may have been naïve, and it was out of character for Dream to think this way, but he hoped that soon the two countries could find reconciliation. It seemed strange that a war was what ultimately softened Dream’s heart, but after fighting people he once considered friends, he just wanted the hostility to be over. Leading could be blinding, and he was ready to admit that his power had made him into a worser version of himself. He didn’t regret his choices by any means, but watching Wilbur lead made him reexamine his own authority. Maybe amidst his strict rule he could reach out his oft hidden, gentler side.

Even though Sapnap and George weren’t thrilled with being on the losing side, Dream knew they’d come around to see the benefits of letting L’Manberg gain it’s independence. It would take time, but he wasn’t concerned about what the future held. There had to be hardships before they could find a peace, it was inevitable. It seemed that Essempee had endured it’s fair share of that, and Dream truly believed they’d finally gotten past the hardest they’d face. It all had to start changing from the better from there on out, and Dream couldn’t wait to see what was in store for both Essempee and L’Manberg.

Niki had never felt more joy than when she saw Wil ride into view towards their camp. She sprinted full speed at him, jumping into his arms as soon as he had dismounted his horse. The force of her embrace nearly sent him tumbling to his feet. A flood of questions followed shortly behind. They came out faster than Wilbur could process, and many required answers he didn’t want to give.

The only thing he told her was that everyone was alive, and that they’d won the war. He didn’t yet recount Eret’s betrayal or the explosions that wiped out half their nation. He didn’t speak about the duel or the unexplained conversation Tommy had with Dream. That would come in time. There was a long walk home and plenty of time to slowly break the news of their loss-filled victory.

For now though, Wilbur wanted to give Niki and everyone else the chance to rejoice in unfettered happiness. At the end of the day, the independence they had gained outweighed the things they had to sacrifice to get it. It wouldn’t be long until the trials and tribulations would be forgotten. They always knew there would be hardships in their path, and L’Manberg was resilient. As Wilbur led his people back to their new nation, his heart was filled with optimism for the future.

The road ahead would be long and winding, Wilbur knew that for sure.

He watched with pride as his war torn nation came back to life by its inhabitants. It was as though nothing had changed at all. Nothing could deter the people now, not the destroyed buildings, not the challenge of creating a brand new country, not even the loss of a once loyal community leader. All that mattered was that they now had control over their own lives, no longer was an oppressive ruler controlling them with fear and absolute power.

Everyone trusted Wilbur with blind faith. He’d been the one to spearhead the revolution against Dream, surely he’d be the one to lead them into prosperity for years to come. When the people came together there wasn’t much ceremony to be seen. Wilbur stood in front of the small population of L’Manberg, Niki and his men at his side, and spoke to his people. This time he had no eloquent words or preplanned messages. Nothing but his honest stream of consciousness poured forth. He told L’Manberg that they would face challenges. This wouldn’t be an easy path, but it would be worth it. Wilbur told them of the plans he had to build their nation. He told them of his excitement for the prospects the years to come held. There was no need for a showy speech, just the candor of a leader placed at the head of a young nation.

The sun set on the neighboring states, marking the final day of the war for L’Manberg’s independence. The conflict was officially over. The cards had fallen into place, each person now left to play the hand they were dealt. For better or worse, the lives within the walls of L’Manberg and Essempee would forever be changed. There was only one thing that was certain for the future; the world would never be the same.

Everyone wished for prosperity and peace. After the never ending rush of conflict and turmoil the past ten years brought, they had to be coming out the other side of the darkened tunnel. That was only their hope, and hope can only carry people so far. No one knew it yet, but the disruption of the order that Dream had once established would turn ripples of revolution into waves of anarchy all too soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story comes to a close, but it's definitely far from over..
> 
> [ The first chapter of the sequel ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27236530/chapters/66534049) is already up, it will be following the election and festival arc. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who gave their support for my fic! I've so enjoyed writing it and sharing it. I partially do this for me, but I mainly do it for other people to enjoy a new version of the stories these amazing content creators put out. I send out my love to each and everyone of you, your encouragements really did motivate me throughout this whole process.


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